Once more, the future of technology will be engineered in secrecy by a few people, and then delivered to us as a sealed device that is seamless and perfect. When technology is developed in secrecy, and then sold to us as a “black box”we are reduced to mere consumers. We wait for updates. We adapt to new features. We don’t make the tools, they make us.
There is a problem. Not just for technologists and tinkerers, but for us all.
The crisis of disempowerment is a reality we are experiencing. Children are more anxious now than ever before; the former US surgeon-general described a loneliness crisis; people are becoming increasingly concerned about AI eroding educational standardsMany of these trends have been correlated to the beautiful devices that we use. Now AI, arguably the most powerful tech of our time, is moving off the screen into the physical world.
This timing is not coincidental. Hardware is experiencing a renaissance. Every major tech company invests in physical interfaces to AI. Startups are raising money to build robots, wearables, glasses that will track our every movement. The form factor is the next battleground. Do we want our future to be mediated by interfaces that we cannot open, code that we cannot see, and decisions that we cannot influence?
The moment we are in creates a new opportunity to do things differently. A quiet, grounded sense is reactivating away from the self centeredness of Silicon Valley. I call it the revenge for the makers.
In 2007 as the iPhone was emerging, the maker movement began to take shape. This subculture advocates for learning-through-making in social environments like hackerspaces and libraries. Maker Faires are large events where DIY and open hardware enthusiasts gather to share their inventions and tinker. The movement was driven by the desire to have fun, achieve personal goals, and share knowledge. Companies like MakerBot Raspberry Pi, Arduino and (my education startup) littleBits were born from garages and kitchen table. I wanted to challenge the idea that technology was intimidating or inaccessible. I created modular electronic building blocks to put the power to invent in the hands of anyone.
The maker movement is by definition humble and consistent. Makers don’t believe in the cult individual genius, we believe in collective talent. We believe that innovation is better done together, that creativity is not only a gift, and that open products allow people to observe, learn and create. This is the opposite of what Jony Ive, Sam Altman, and their team are building.
Over time, however, the momentum waned. The tech and investment industries dismissed the movement as niche and hobbyist. Starting in 2018, pressures from the hardware venture market, followed by covid, made people retreat to social spaces and spend more time behind screens.
It’s now mounting a powerful, second act with the help of a wave AI open-source enthusiasts. The stakes are much higher this time, and it needs our support.
Hugging Face, the AI leader in 2024, developed an open-source platformthat already has 3,500+ data sets for AI robots and attracts thousands of participants to giant hackathons from all continents. Raspberry Pi was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 19459014 for $700 million. After a hiatus from Maker Faire, it returned with nearly 30,000 attendees and kinetic sculptures. DIY.org launched its app just last week. In March, my good friend Roya Mahboob founder of the Afghan Girls Robotics Team released a film on the team. It received incredible reviews. Making is seen as the ultimate form of empowerment and expression. FabLabs, Adafruit and other maker organizations have continued to influence millions of people.
According to studies, hands-on creativity can reduce anxiety, fight loneliness, and boost cognitive function. Making things gives us a sense of purpose, reminds us of our ability to shape the world, and connects us with others.
My proposal is not to reject AI hardware, but to reject the notion that innovation has to be exclusive, elite, and closed. I propose to fund and build an open alternative. This means investing our time and money in robots built in community laboratories, AI models that are trained in the public, and tools that are transparent and hackable. This world is not only more inclusive, but also more innovative. It’s also fun.
It’s not nostalgia. It’s about fighting for a future that we want: One of joy and openness, not conformity and consumption. One where technology encourages participation and not passiveness. Children learn to build, not just swipe. Creativity is not just the domain of lone geniuses living in glass towers, but a shared experience. Altman said in his Io video announcement that “we are literally on brink of a brand new generation of technology which can make us better selves.” This reminded me of Mountainhead (19659015), where four tech moguls claim to be saving the world as it burns. I don’t believe the iPhone has made us better people. You’ve never seen a faster me than when I try to grab an iPhone from my three-year old’s hand.
I am watching what Jony Ive and Sam Altman will unveil. But I’m more excited about what’s happening on workbenches, in basements and classrooms. The real iPhone moment doesn’t come with a new product. It’s when you realize that you can build it yourself. What’s the best part? When you’re holding the soldering iron, you can’t doomscroll.
Ayah is a leader of the maker movement and a champion of Open Source AI. She founded littleBits to teach STEAM through hands-on invention. She is a graduate of MIT Media Lab and was named one of BBC’s 100 Most Influencial Women. Her inventions were acquired by the Museum of Modern Art.
