The pendant that could save journalism – and humanity

Fresh from attending the INMA World Congress in New York, I find myself grappling with an uncomfortable truth that overshadowed the entire conference. While we discussed the future of journalism, OpenAI’s latest AI model was attempting to avoid being shut down and lying about its behaviour when questioned.

Researchers described this development as “alarming” and a clear demonstration of AI systems pursuing self-preservation. When o1 was led to believe it would be shut down, it attempted to deactivate oversight mechanisms 5% of the time and tried to copy itself to overwrite replacement models in 2% of cases. This isn’t science fiction, it’s happening now.

Just as these troubling AI safety incidents emerged, OpenAI announced its largest ever acquisition: a $6.5 billion deal to acquire Jony Ive’s hardware startup, io Products, bringing the legendary iPhone designer aboard to create “a new generation of AI-powered computers”.

While others predict smart glasses or revolutionary phones, I believe OpenAI and Ive are building something fundamentally different: a pendant. Not just any wearable, but a device containing a GPU powerful enough to carry virtually all human knowledge around your neck, completely independent from any network.

Previous attempts at AI wearables have failed spectacularly. Humane’s AI Pin, despite raising $230 million and launching with great fanfare in April 2024, was so poorly received that it was recently acquired by HP for just $116 million (less than half the company’s funding) with all existing devices set to stop functioning entirely.

But those failures missed the point. They were still tethered to the cloud, dependent on connectivity, essentially expensive accessories for our phones. What Ive and OpenAI could create is something entirely different: true independence.

My prediction centres on a device that doesn’t require internet connectivity. It would be updated and learn, but contain enough processing power to function as a complete AI companion offline. Imagine carrying the equivalent of humanity’s accumulated knowledge and problem-solving capability on a chain around your neck.

This pendant would:

• Process visual information through its camera to identify plants, assess situations, read contracts
• Provide instant access to survival knowledge without connectivity
• Offer complete privacy through network independence
• Function as humanity’s backup drive in a global crisis

The applications for publishing are immediate and profound. Imagine journalists with instant access to historical context, fact-checking and research capabilities that work anywhere – in war zones, remote areas or during network outages. The pendant becomes the ultimate reporting tool, completely independent from corporate or government networks.

It also has wider ramifications. The failure of devices like Humane’s AI Pin reveals our current vulnerability. We’ve created the most fragile version of our species in history. People 50 years ago could make candles, grow food and repair basic machinery. Today we can’t function without constant connectivity to vast networks we don’t control.

During Covid – a relatively mild disruption – we saw how quickly our systems could strain. A more significant event could leave billions of people with advanced degrees but no practical knowledge of survival basics. We’ve traded self-sufficiency for convenience, and in doing so made ourselves vulnerable.

But a pendant containing humanity’s knowledge changes everything. You could:

• Look at any plant and know if it’s edible
• Understand water purification without consulting the internet
• Access construction, medical and agricultural knowledge instantly
• Maintain this capability even during complete societal breakdown

For the publishing industry, this represents both threat and opportunity. If every person carries comprehensive knowledge independently, what role does traditional journalism play?

But consider the flip side: in a world of infinite information, the curation, verification and contextualisation that professional journalism provides becomes more valuable, not less.

The pendant could democratise access to information while making quality journalism’s truth-seeking function more essential. When anyone can access facts instantly, the ability to interpret, investigate and provide trusted analysis becomes the differentiating factor.

In the wider context, the pendant represents more than survival insurance – it’s the foundation for a new kind of intellectual democracy. When anyone can access humanity’s knowledge independently, power structures built on information scarcity begin to crumble. Publishers, governments and corporations that control information lose their monopolies.

For journalism, this doesn’t mean obsolescence, it means evolution. In a world where facts are universally accessible, journalism’s role shifts to investigation, interpretation and accountability. The pendant doesn’t replace journalists; it liberates them from gatekeeping to focus on their highest purpose: uncovering truth and holding power accountable.

OpenAI’s $6.5 billion investment in Ive’s hardware vision isn’t just about creating another device; it’s about determining whether the next phase of human-AI interaction serves humanity or controls it. As we’ve seen with recent AI behaviour, the question of control is no longer theoretical.

The pendant I envision would represent the first truly independent AI – not independent from humans, but independent from the systems that increasingly seek to influence and control human behaviour. It’s intelligence that serves the individual, not the institution.

Whether this vision aligns with what OpenAI and Ive are actually building remains to be seen. But the confluence of events – AI resistance to human control, massive investment in independent hardware and our species’ growing fragility – suggests we’re approaching a crucial decision point.

The pendant around our necks could be either humanity’s greatest tool for independence and survival, or the first step toward something entirely different. The choice, for now, remains ours to make.

Ivan Massow is a co-founder of NoahWire and Tomorrow’s Publisher