Tech brands are forcing AI into your gadgets whether you asked for it or not

Logitech announced a new mouse last week. A company representative reached out to Ars about Logitech’s “latest wireless mouse.” The gadget’s product page remains the same as of the time of this writing.

I have had good experiences with Logitech mice, especially wireless mice, and am currently using one of them. So I was curious to see what Logitech had done to improve upon its previous wireless mouse design. Has the clicking sound become quieter? A new shape that better fits your overworked right hand? Multiple onboard profiles designed for business?

I was disappointed to learn that the Logitech Signature AI Edition M750’s most distinctive feature is the button south of the scroll wheel. This button is pre-programmed to launch the ChatGPT prompt builder that Logitech recently added to its peripheral configuration app Options+.

That’s all.

Additionally, the M750 looks exactly like the Logitech Signature M650, which was launched in January 2022. Additionally, the forward button (left side of the mouse) on the new mouse is preprogrammed to launch Windows or macOS dictation, which opens the back button. ChatGPT in Options+. As of this writing, the new mouse has an MSRP of $10 ($50) more than the M650.

When I asked Logitech about the fact that the M750 looks like an M650 but has additional buttons, a spokesperson replied:

Admittedly, the M750 is not the same mouse as the M650. It has an additional button pre-programmed to trigger the Logi AI prompt builder once the user installs his Logi Options+ app. If you don’t use Options+, the button will toggle the DPI between 1,000 DPI and 1,600 DPI.

However, reprogrammable buttons south of the mouse scroll wheel, which can be set to quickly launch apps or toggle DPI, are very common, including on Logitech mice. A Logitech representative further claimed to me that the two mice use different electronic components. Logitech calls it the Mouse Platform. Logitech can reuse the platform for different models, the spokesperson said.

A Logitech representative declined to comment on why the M650 doesn’t have a button south of the scroll wheel. Price is a potential reason, but Logitech also sells cheaper mice with this feature.

Still, the differences between the two are minimal, indicating that the M750 isn’t worth releasing a full product. Without Logitech’s trendy new software features, I doubt the M750 would have been touted as a new product.

The M750 also raises the question of how many computer input devices are needed with some kind of buzzing generative AI-related functionality.

Logitech’s ChatGPT Prompt Builder

Logitech’s much larger release last week wasn’t a peripheral, but an addition to its Options+ app. You don’t need a “new” M750 mouse to use Logitech’s AI Prompt Builder. I was able to program the MX Master 3S to start. Some Logitech mice and keyboards support AI Prompt Builder.

Press the button that launches the prompt builder.[オプション+]A window will appear. Here you can enter text that Options+ will use to create appropriate prompts for ChatGPT based on your needs.

Once you make your selection, another window will open with your ChatGPT response. According to Logitech, the prompt builder requires a ChatGPT account, but I was able to use GPT-3.5 without entering an account (this feature also works with his GPT-4).

A typical Alsian probably won’t need help creating ChatGPT prompts, and Logitech’s new features won’t work with other chatbots. The prompt builder can be of interest to less technically savvy people interested in handholding for their early ChatGPT experience. However, it is questionable whether someone with a rudimentary understanding of generative AI would need immediate access to her ChatGPT.

However, the key is instant access to ChatGPT functionality, which Logitech claims is valuable for professional users. However, some Logitech customers seem to disagree, especially when it comes to AI Prompt Builder. This means that Options+ has more resources in the background.

[Update 4/29/24: After Ars published this article, a Logitech representative reached out to say: “We have heard the feedback and have a planned solution coming soon. Stay tuned for an update to disable this feature.”]

But Logitech isn’t the only gadget company keen to tie one-touch AI access to hardware buttons.

Plug in your earphones and talk to ChatGPT

Similar to Logitech, Nothing is looking to provide customers with quick access to ChatGPT. In this case, access occurs by pinching the device. This month, Nothing announced that it is “integrating Nothing earbuds and Nothing OS with ChatGPT to give users instant access to knowledge directly from the devices they use most: their earbuds and smartphones.” This feature requires the latest Nothing OS and the user must have his Nothing phone with ChatGPT installed. ChatGPT gestures work on Nothing’s Phone (2), Nothing Ear, and Nothing Ear (a), but Nothing plans to extend it to other phones through a software update.

Nothing also said it would embed “system-level entry points” to ChatGPT into the Nothing smartphone OS, such as screenshot sharing and “Nothing-style widgets.”

Users who don’t have ChatGPT installed on their phones are not affected, so Nothing’s ChatGPT integration may not be as intrusive as Logitech’s. But again, you may be wondering how many people ask for this feature and how reliably it works.