Screenless was an AI-powered platform for phone call transcription and GPT integration developed by Jan_Wilmake under Code_From_Anywhere in late 2023. The product aimed to create an "ambient" AI interface — one that operated through voice and phone interactions rather than requiring users to engage with a screen, hence the name.
Screenless was conceived in October–November 2023, directly inspired by OpenAI's DevDay announcements — particularly the release of GPTs (custom ChatGPT configurations). Wilmake identified an opportunity to connect inbound and outbound phone calls to GPT-powered workflows.
The underlying thesis was that voice and telephony remain dominant interfaces for large segments of the population (particularly older users and less tech-literate demographics) and were largely untouched by the 2022–2023 LLM revolution.
| Period | Activity |
|---|---|
| Oct–Nov 2023 | Concept at OpenAI DevDay; initial prototyping |
| November 2023 | Working with Tolkie (Dutch client) on voice AI |
| December 2023 | Public alpha launched |
| Jan–Feb 2024 | Onboarding improvements; WhatsApp integration; calendar events |
| 2024 | Dual focus maintained alongside ActionSchema |
In early 2024, Jan published a post arguing against the new-hardware approach taken by competitors like Humane (AI Pin) and Rabbit Tech (R1). His thesis: existing simple phones — specifically cheap Nokia models — paired with quality headphones and an action button already provide all the hardware primitives Screenless needs. The missing piece is software, not silicon.
His proposed stack: a Nokia 105 Neo (~€20) with a good pair of headphones, the action button mapped to call Screenless, and headphone gesture support for the same action. Jan also speculated about using the phone's LED screen as a low-bandwidth signal channel — sending data embedded in the voice signal — but considered this optional.
This position set Screenless apart from contemporaries attempting to manufacture dedicated AI wearables and grounded the product in a pragmatic hardware philosophy: ultimate AI delivery over a bidirectional voice interface doesn't require new hardware.
A 2023 blog post by Jan outlined the conceptual foundation for Screenless under the framing of "social computing": the thesis that everyday human conversations — in bed, at a bar, on a walk — are the raw material of valuable content, and AI can extract, structure, and publish that material with minimal friction.
Jan coined the term Chatcasts for this mode of content production: continuous, conversation-derived media that transcends the traditional scheduled-recording format of podcasts. The enabling technology — transcription + GPT structuring — is exactly what Screenless implements at the call level.
This framing connects Screenless to a broader vision of ambient AI: an always-on system that passively enriches life by capturing what would otherwise be ephemeral.