Xiaomi announced the Mi AI Stick USB stick with artificial intelligence: it will cost only $40 per terabyte
This day has arrived - Xiaomi is going to release a USB stick with artificial intelligence called Mi AI Stick. It is common knowledge that in 2025, in order to excel in the release of gadgets, you need to add artificial intelligence features to them. At first glance, this seems like a rather pointless idea - what can you add to such a simple device, but the idea is actually sound. For example, the AI analyses exactly how the stick is being used (write frequency, file types, time of day and even geolocation) and requires additional authorisation if the behaviour deviates a lot - in other words, the stick itself understands that "someone else" has plugged it in.
Here's a list of the Mi AI Stick's features, which are available at launch:
Smart sorting and auto-saving
The AI stick automatically organises the files inside by category (photos, documents, music, memes), renames them in plain language and even tells you what to delete or archive.
Usage analytics
Artificial intelligence generates and stores a dashboard: which files you copy most often, how much space duplicates take up, what hasn't been opened for a long time, which formats are the most popular, etc.
Hybrid memory with cloud support
The flash drive syncs with a cloud service (there's a mobile app for this, yes, one more thing - you can log in to iCloud, Google Drive or Office 365), but the AI itself determines which files are confidential and are better kept locally and which are better kept in the cloud, depending on what you open more often.
Automatic backups
Every time you connect, the flash drive can automatically save the latest versions of important documents from your computer, while excluding temporary files and browser cache.
Xiaomi AI assistant
The app's built-in language model (LLM) helps you write text notes, create checklists or your own schedule in your calendar, or even generate code for a programmer or document template - right on the flash drive, offline.
Voice control
So, in the Mi AI Stick app, you have the option to control data storage using voice commands. For example, delete all data if you don't have time to insert the stick into your computer. Or move files from one folder to another (for example, protected by post-quantum cryptography).
During the presentation, Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun noted that in the era of AI, not only smartphones or laptops should be smart:
In 2011, we created the first Xiaomi smartphone. In 2020, the first robot hoover with AI. And today, we reimagined the thumb drive. We've made it smart. It knows which files are important. It helps you write. It prompts. It protects. And she learns.
Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun during the launch of the Mi AI Stick. Photo: Shawn Koh/Bloomberg
Price and availability
The Mi AI Stick should go on sale in early summer 2025. Versions with 1, 2, and 4 terabytes should be available. Prices start at $40 (China only, flash sale and online only).
