Humane launches AI Pin – a wearable and chatty AI gizmo

Pitched as ‘the first wearable device and software platform built to harness the full power of artificial intelligence’, the AI Pin is a wearable, screen-less device designed to allow the user to interact with AI verbally.

Once pinned to their shirt, users can ask AI Pin to search for info which it ‘contextualizes’, get it to craft messages in your tone of voice, sift through an inbox, play music, translate foreign languages and perhaps most bizarrely ‘support your nutrition goals by identifying food using computer vision.’ More features are promised down the road.

It runs on an OS called Cosmos, which apparently removes the need to download, manage, or launch apps. ‘Instead, it quickly understands what you need, connecting you to the right AI experience or service instantly,’ reads the release.’

It’s powered by a Snapdragon processor with a dedicated Qualcomm AI Engine, and an ultra-wide RGB camera with depth sensor and motion sensors. Meanwhile a ‘personic speaker creates a bubble of sound’ – but if you don’t fancy the sound of that it can also pair with headphones via Bluetooth.

The AI cleverness is supplied via collaborations with Microsoft and OpenAI. The device does not need to be paired with a smartphone, and Humane is launching its own MVNO (via T-Mobile in the US) for connectivity. The release also goes out of its way to make clear it is not ‘always on’ and listening to everything you say or do.

It’s priced at $699 which includes the device, two battery boosters, a charge pad, a charge case, a cable and an adapter. Then there is a $24 per month charge for the Humane Subscription, which includes a phone number for the Ai Pin and unlimited talk, text, and data. This subscription also comes with cloud storage and full access to Humane’s suite of Ai-powered services.

It will be available to order in the US from November 16^th, but there’s no mention of a launch date anywhere else.

“Ai Pin is the embodiment of our vision to integrate AI into the fabric of daily life, enhancing our capabilities without overshadowing our humanity,” Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno, Co-Founders, Humane said jointly. “We are proud to finally unveil what we and the team at Humane have been working on for the past four years. For us, Ai Pin is just the beginning.”

John Saw, EVP and Chief Technology Officer, T-Mobile added: “At T-Mobile we work to be the best in the world at connecting customers to their world, and this Ai Pin is a huge step towards a more connected, AI-informed future. We are thrilled that our network is enabling this new Ai-first experience that Humane is building.”

AI Pin sounds like one of those things you’d have to take for a spin yourself to gauge how effective it is at delivering on all its promises. But in a world where the smartphone has cannibalised so many other consumer electronic segments, if nothing else its refreshing to see a weird new gadget hit the market, since a lot of what it seems designed to achieve probably could have been done with an app instead.

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