Most AI gadgets wait for your command like digital butlers. The Looki L1 breaks that pattern by watching your life unfold and deciding what deserves attention. At CES 2026, this $199 wearable camera positions itself as the first “proactive AI” device — meaning it switches modes and captures moments without you pressing a single button.
Three Minds in One Device
The L1’s standout feature isn’t its 4K camera or 32-gram weight — it’s the multimodal intelligence that recognizes when you’re networking at conferences versus hitting the gym.
- Expo Mode kicks in during events, capturing environmental context and suggesting follow-up actions from conversations you’ve had
- Fitness Mode tracks your movements and offers real-time cues like post-run stretches
- Daily Mode monitors habits and lifestyle patterns, potentially warning you about that third coffee affecting sleep quality
This context-switching happens through combined visual, audio, and motion sensors processing data on-device.
Memory as a Service
You can ask the L1’s companion app questions like “What did I eat today?” or “Show me beautiful places from my trip” and receive contextual answers with relevant clips. The device automatically generates vlogs and comic-style story pages from captured footage, turning mundane moments into shareable narratives.
Story Mode records short clips at configurable intervals — 30 seconds, 1 minute, or 2 minutes — creating a searchable archive of your experiences. Think of it as outsourcing memory to an AI that actually pays attention.
The Privacy Balancing Act
Looki emphasizes that sensitive data stays local by default, with users controlling what uploads to their private AWS storage. The device attempts to filter “sensitive scenes” before cloud processing, though details remain vague until independent testing.
Battery life reaches 9-13 hours depending on capture intervals, with IP67 waterproofing handling everyday splashes. However, the consent implications feel murky — Expo Mode summarizing conversations and interactions raises questions about recording others without explicit permission, a challenge facing all “memory” wearables.
Beta Territory
Many AI features carry “beta” labels, meaning your $199 investment includes debugging Looki’s algorithms in real-world conditions. The 32GB storage constraint requires frequent offloading for heavy users.
Unlike the overpromising Rabbit R1, the L1 focuses narrowly on lifelogging rather than attempting general AI assistance — potentially avoiding those pitfalls while creating new ones around privacy and social etiquette.
The L1 represents accessible entry into proactive AI wearables, assuming its context detection works as advertised. For creators and professionals juggling manual note-taking with phone videos, $199 could justify the experiment. Just remember you’re essentially beta testing the future of always-on AI companions.
