What happens when inexpensive consumer gadgets meet smarter-than-ever AI?

AI is starting to show up in all sorts of physical products, from wearables and voice devices to companions, toys, and gadgets that are a little harder to categorise. At the same time, AI isn't just changing what gets built. It's also making it easier for more people to build with hardware in the first place.

Join Weiwei and Jackie for a laid-back evening exploring both sides of this shift. We'll take a look at what's emerging from China's consumer AI hardware scene, hear what it's like for a software builder to venture into the physical world with AI, then open up the tables for everyone to play, experiment, and compare notes.

Got an interesting gadget of your own? Bring it along! Add it to the show-and-tell and let the room have a go.

👀What's Happening?

“Hardware Is Hard, But AI Made It Soft” by Jackie Tan (Founder, The Mind Interface Company)

Jackie will share his journey from fintech software founder to building at the intersection of hardware, data, and biology - despite starting with very little hardware experience. Through examples from his work building brain-computer interfaces and other physical prototypes, he’ll explore how AI has started to make hardware feel more like software: helping him understand unfamiliar electronics, navigate datasheets and protocols, write firmware, debug physical systems, and rapidly prototype ideas across disciplines he was never formally trained in. Along the way, Jackie will share some of his more painful hardware mistakes, what AI could and could not save him from, and how software builders can use AI to dramatically lower the barrier to building things in the physical world.

What's Emerging in AI Hardware + Unboxing by Weiwei Hsu (Founder, GENGEN)

Weiwei will take us through a quick look at the consumer AI hardware landscape in China, including some of the more interesting products and experiments emerging today.

We'll then get hands-on with a slightly eclectic collection of gadgets we've picked up from China. Some practical, some playful, some slightly uncanny. Expect:

  • An-offline-first AI translator

  • A physical desktop AI companion

  • An RFID cloner

  • A credit card sized AirTag that works for Android as well

  • A digital labubu badge

  • A tactile smart dial with surprisingly simple utilities

  • A wearable “fortune” device

  • An ultra-thin magnetic power bank

​More About the Organizers

Weiwei Hsu (Founder, GENGEN)Weiwei designs new ways for humans to interact — on screen, in space, and in culture. She is the founder of GENGEN, a studio producing synthetic videos on Instagram and TikTok. They have amassed over 40 million views organically with their AI engine. She has hosted 80+ creative tech gatherings from San Francisco to Shanghai.

Lorong AI

Lorong AI brings together government, industry, and research to build Singapore's AI ecosystem. A collaborative hub for AI practitioners connect, innovate, and shape the future of AI in Singapore through curated programs and a supportive community.

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