Thought Leadership
The ambitious attempt by a start-up run by two former Apple managers to compete with the smartphone with a small AI device has failed.
The “AI Pins” sold so far will only work until the end of the month. However, there is something of a happy ending for the developer company Humane: it is being bought by computer group HP for 116 million dollars and at least some of the employees will be retained.
Humane presented the “AI Pin” in the fall of 2023 with the big promise that it would allow users to do without a smartphone in many situations. The device had a camera, speakers and a laser projector to display information on the palm of your hand.
The camera as the eye of the AI
The flat “AI Pin” with edge lengths of less than five centimetres was attached to clothing with a magnet and worn at chest height. The device did not have a display, but was operated by voice or hand gestures. The magnet that held the device was also the battery that supplied it with power.
The camera played a special role here – it was intended to be the eye of the artificial intelligence. The software was supposed to use it to recognize objects, for example. At the 2023 presentation, co-founder Imran Chaudhri demonstrated its capabilities by holding a handful of almonds in front of the lens and asking how much protein they contained. “15 grams,” was the answer, referring to the exact amount recorded. Chaudhri then showed the “AI Pin” a book and had it ordered online.
Bad reviews at the start
Chaudhri and his co-founder and wife Bethany Bongiorno, who both once worked at Apple, set themselves the major goal of making frequent interactions with screens unnecessary thanks to artificial intelligence. However, when the “AI Pin” was launched on the market in April 2024 at a price of 699 dollars after delays, it was met with criticism. American tech journalists came across many problems with the device and software. The popular Youtuber Marques Brownlee described the “AI Pin” as the worst product he had ever tested.
Sales remained low; according to media reports, Humane tried to find a buyer for the company at a price of up to one billion dollars shortly after the device was launched. Humane had raised around 230 million dollars from investors for the development.
New innovation lab at HP
Among other things, HP is now acquiring the operating system of the device called CosmosOS and around 300 patents for 116 million dollars. The new innovation lab HP IQ is to be built on the basis of the purchase, it was said.
Meanwhile, most buyers will be left holding the bag – Humane will only refund the money for “AI Pins” delivered from November 15.
dpa
