E Ink, the company behind the e-paper displays we’re so fond of, has come up with another use for its screen technology. The company has announced a new “visual, AI-assisted human-machine interface” that replaces the trackpad on a laptop.

Its purpose, in case it isn’t clear, is to provide users with a second screen dedicated to AI functions on their laptops, although we imagine that an enterprising hacker could also get Doom running on it.

Some new E Ink

The innovation combines a laptop trackpad with an E Ink display, which, in conjunction with a range of Intel technology, enables unique functions for users. Intel Smart Base, IPF, and Assistant Builder are used to “perform real-time edge AI applications such as frequently used shortcuts and system notifications and GenAI contents like text/image summaries, gaming tactics, or custom AI tasks displayed on the interactive C-cover.”

If you’re an AI fanatic, that might sound like just the addition for you. Its success is far from assured, however. We’ve seen various attempts at making a laptop trackpad a multifunction tool, including sticking a NumPad into one that can be switched off and on, but most of these have fallen flat. Still, E Ink’s idea has some merits. The company’s e-paper screens are very low-powered and shouldn’t dent battery life much, while the company also envisions making it usable even when the laptop itself is powered off.

That latter point could lead to laptops with the ability to show advertising, in the same manner as Amazon’s Kindles. That would prove to be a point of extreme irritation, but somebody will make the attempt (at least once). Using a trackpad that you’re also supposed to be looking directly at will also be a chore until years of muscle memory can be retrained.

Still, the ups and downs are some way away. E Ink hasn’t said when or where its AI-enabled trackpad will turn up, only that it exists. We’ll keep a weather eye on who is the first to give the innovation a shot. Odds are it won’t be long.