Bad Product; Humane AI Pin

Overview

When it comes to AI, I’ve been more on the skeptical side of things. I’ve written about this view in the past and I will always mention the blog post of “I Will Fucking Piledrive You If You Mention AI Again” because it’s on point. I truly believe AI is overhyped, and that the bubble will burst.

And if there’s anything that backs up that claim it’s the story of the Humane AI Pin. In case you haven’t heard the news about this device, HP is buying the assets of Humane for $116M. This includes CosmOS, the technical staff, 300 patents and patent applications.

However, Humane has said that the company would be winding down the AI pin. This includes that the pin would no longer connect to Humane’s servers after February 28th 2025. That means that customers would no longer be able to call, send messages, send queries and receive responses. Plus, any data stored in the cloud will be deleted after the shutdown date.

After the shutdown, offline features such as checking the battery level will still work (thank goodness).

To add insult to injury for owners of the pin, only customers who have purchased a pin and are within the 90-day return window are eligible for a refund.

This is all after how Humane was once looking to sell itself for one billion dollars.

What a mess.

How did we get here?

Before the pin launched, it received an incredible amount of hype. The cofounder of Humane, Imran Chaudhri, gave a TED talk where the pin was shown. It was a good demo that gave a glimpse into the future. The stage was set.

The pin launched in April 2024, and received terrible reviews. Reviewers found that the pin would overheat, missing features such as not being able to set an alarm or a timer (very basic features) and hallucinations from the AI model the pin uses. In August 2024, it was reported that the returns were outpacing sales. It was around this time the company was exploring a sale.

Why was the product bad?

So we know that the reviews were terrible, and it’s clear that the product really wasn’t ready and needed more time when it launched. But I have four major points that I’m amazed that were missed when this product was brought to market.

Price

At launch, the pin was being sold for $700 with a $24 monthly subscription. Which is such a high price for a product with so many fatal flaws. Granted, Humane did drop the price by $200 but even then, with smartphones costing less than or equal to $700 (or $500 after the price drop), the pin doesn’t make sense from a sense of value.

A smartphone would have better quality cameras, do more, have better battery life and so on. With that in mind, why would you want to buy this pin?

Target customer and undeserved needs

Who is this device for, exactly? Humane advertises the pin with the slogan of ‘see the world, not your screen’. If a customer is seeking a way to disconnect from a smartphone, then there are plenty of minimalist or ‘dumb-phone’ options available (and some which cost much less than the pin itself).

And then there are the underserved needs, the problems that aren’t being addressed by existing solutions in the market, which I struggle to think of. The modern smartphone does everything that the pin does and more (like setting an alarm or a timer).

I’m surprised that this product got funding given that there was no market for the product to begin with.

Value proposition

Why would a customer choose the pin over alternatives? As I mentioned, a smartphone could be bought for the equivalent price or less than the pin, and would do more. So it doesn’t make sense to buy the pin.

Issues with the product itself

Shortly after the pin released, users of the pin were told to stop using the charging case due to fire concerns. Now with the shutdown, Humane has said that the business will no longer be providing replacement cases.

The end of AI devices?

Although there is plenty of hype around AI, I think devices such as the Humane Pin goes to show that there isn’t a market out there for this type of product. Users are happy with their smartphones and tablets for digesting digital content, taking photos and videos, social media and so on.

I’m aware of the Rabbit R1, another AI device, which also faced similar scathing reviews. Although that device starts at $199, it still faces the same issues as the pin; unknown target customer, issues with the AI model and just doesn’t work.

I feel bad for those who bought the pin at launch and are unable to get a refund. The pin at this point is doomed to being e-waste (unless you want to check the battery of your pin).

Perhaps smartphones will evolve to offer AI personal assistants, which is what we’re seeing with Apple Intelligence. But whether or not this is what users want remains to be seen.

Regardless, it’s clear that wearable AI products should be avoided for now.