Putting The Senses In AI

InnovationAIPutting The Senses In AIByJohn Werner,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I am an MIT Senior Fellow & Lecturer, 5x-founder & VC investing in AIFollow AuthorMay 23, 2026, 02:26pm EDTMay 23, 2026, 02:27pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Digital generated image of multicolored particles forming eye shape against black background.getty It’s no secret that smart wearables are becoming a big industry, and in the context of that, the “awareness” of hardware through sensory apparatus is a big factor. The machines that see (in their own ways) and experience the world around them utilize sensory items like cameras and other analytical tools, to feed data into the LLM or brain of the system.I wrote last week about a doubling in the smart glasses sector last year, making that a bigger part of tech retail. Then there are all of these robotic applications to business, with automation making greater inroads into production, service jobs, and even things like janitorial work."In a benign scenario, probably none of us will have a job," said richest man in the world Elon Musk, according to reporting by Eric Revell at Fox Business. "There will be universal high income – and not universal basic income – universal high income. There'll be no shortage of goods or services."That’s a pretty rosy projection, but the idea is not lost on many with front row seats to this wave of advancement: that in the end, AGI will become so capable that it can do almost any rote task with a great degree of success.Analyzing ProgressThere’s also the question of how we get there. I saw a panel at this year’s April Imagination in Action event at MIT, where a group of accomplished people discussed how sensory AI is flourishing, and what models business use to push the envelope. (Disclaimer: April’s IIA event is an annual conference...