Rabbit: The AI-Powered UI Layer Enabling Natural Language Interaction with Software

## What if you could interact with any piece of software using natural language?

### Introducing Rabbit: The Future of Human-Machine Interaction

Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could simply type in a prompt and have artificial intelligence (AI) translate your instructions into machine-comprehendable commands? Imagine being able to execute tasks on your PC or phone effortlessly, with the software understanding and accomplishing the goals you describe. This is precisely the idea driving Rabbit, a startup founded by Jesse Lyu and Alexander Liao. Rabbit is building a custom, AI-powered user interface (UI) layer called OS2 that aims to bridge the gap between users and any operating system.

Rabbit, which received $20 million in funding from investors such as Khosla Ventures, Synergis Capital, and Kakao Investment, wants to redefine human-machine interaction by leveraging generative AI advancements. The key to their success lies in delivering an exceptional end-user experience. To achieve this, Rabbit has developed a bespoke and dedicated platform and device, underpinned by an AI model capable of perceiving and acting on desktop and mobile interfaces just like humans do.

According to Lyu, the Rabbit model can already interact with major consumer applications on Android and the web, including Uber, Doordash, Expedia, Spotify, Yelp, OpenTable, and Amazon. Their aim is to expand this support to all platforms and niche consumer apps in the near future, such as Windows, Linux, MacOS, and more.

### The Competition and Rabbit’s Unique Approach

While Rabbit is not the first to attempt a natural language interface for existing software, they believe they have a unique technical approach. Unlike robotic process automation (RPA) that automates repetitive tasks, Rabbit’s core interaction model understands complex user intentions and operating user interfaces. It goes beyond simple automation and aims to comprehend human intentions on computers.

The Rabbit model can perform tasks like booking flights, making reservations, and editing images in Photoshop using the appropriate built-in tools. However, the model still has limitations in terms of functionality at the moment. It struggles with prompts that require image uploads or URLs, but it can navigate the web and answer questions like the cheapest flights from New York to San Francisco on a specific date.

Rabbit’s model is robust to perturbations, including changes in interfaces over time. To train the model, it simply needs to observe a person using a software interface at least once. However, the exact extent of the model’s robustness is not yet known, as there are countless edge cases that can arise in navigating different user interfaces.

### Scaling Challenges and Future Plans

If Rabbit decides to pursue its proposed hardware strategy, it will face considerable challenges in scaling hardware manufacturing and potential vendor lock-in. However, Rabbit believes that a unique form factor for a mobile device will allow them to design new interaction patterns that are more intuitive and delightful. This hardware will be the first device to access their platform, offering the freedom to run their software and models that existing platforms may not support.

In addition to hardware challenges, Rabbit also faces the laborious and costly process of collecting training data for their model. This requires a vast number of successfully completed tasks in various applications. Nevertheless, with $20 million in funding and a small team, Rabbit aims to keep up with established players in the space and fend off new challengers.

Rabbit plans to generate revenue through licensing its platform, continuously refining its model, and selling custom devices. Time will tell if Rabbit can achieve its ambitious goals and become a prominent player in the field of natural language interaction with software.

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