Humane’s AI Pin: a US$699 wearable device that does smartphone-like things with AI

Humane has finally revealed its first product: the AI Pin, a wearable device that aims to bring the power of AI to your fingertips. You can think of it as doing smartphone-like things, but it looks nothing like one. The AI Pin consists of two parts: a square device and a battery pack that attaches magnetically to your clothing or other surfaces. Humane plans to offer a pin that allows you to hang it off clothing or bags.

The device costs US$699 (around CA$965), plus a US$24 (~CA33) monthly fee for a Humane subscription that includes a phone number and data coverage through T-Mobile’s network. Humane told Wired that preorders will start on November 16 and the device will ship in early 2024.

The AI Pin runs on a Snapdragon processor (the exact model is unknown) and can be controlled with voice, camera, gestures, and a small projector. It weighs about 34 grams, while the battery booster adds another 20 grams. 

Its built-in camera can take 13-megapixel photos and will support video recording after a software update. The AI Pin is not always listening or recording. You need to activate it by tapping and dragging on the touchpad, and a "Trust Light" will blink to indicate when it is collecting data. 

The primary function of the AI Pin is to connect to AI models through software called AI Mic. Humane’s press release mentions Microsoft and OpenAI as partners. Humane also says that ChatGPT access is one of its core features. The AI Pin’s operating system, called Cosmos, automatically routes your queries to the appropriate tools without requiring you to download or manage apps.

Humane

Humane’s vision for the AI Pin is to eliminate the unnecessary interface elements from your technology. It does not have a homescreen or a lot of settings and accounts to deal with. Instead, you can simply talk to or touch the AI Pin and tell it what you want to do or know. It will then perform the task automatically. This is similar to how some chatbots have enabled functionality through simple text commands. Humane created a gadget that follows the same principle.

The next question is what the AI Pin can actually do. Humane lists some features that co-founder Imran Chaudhri demonstrated at TED earlier this year: voice-based messaging and calling, a “catch me up” feature that summarizes your email inbox, a food scanner that gives you nutritional information, and a real-time translator. However, the device's main purpose seems to be as a wearable LLM-powered search engine. 

Humane also told Wired that it plans to add navigation and shopping features. It also wants to allow developers to create their own tools for the device.

As The Verge pointed out, Humane seems to see the AI Pin as the start of a bigger project, which is likely true. As AI models improve and evolve, the AI Pin may get better. It's a first-generation device, so tempering expectations is something you should do. We still need to see if it performs the way the company claims it can. It's unclear if Humane plans to ship this outside of the US. But we'll make sure to update if we hear more.