When Humane announced AI Pin, it promised to oust smartphones from the center of our lives: now the smart pin has arrived on the US market, and it hasn’t been well received by experts
The introduction of the Humane AI Pin to the US market looks set to go down in the history of modern technology as one of the most, if not the worst, product launches criticized. Humane, the company founded by former Apple executives and designers, presented this screen-free wearable powered by generative artificial intelligence for the first time in 2023, arousing such great expectations that models wore it on the Paris Fashion Week catwalks .
However, when American journalists were able to get their hands on the product, the promise of a new digital assistant that would make the use of smartphones superfluous crashed into reality. Among the numerous detractors is David Pierce, in The Verge’s review, who stated that absolutely no one should buy it. YouTuber Marques Brownlee labeled the AI Pin as “The worst product I’ve reviewed to date.” Engadget described it as “the solution to none of tech’s problems”, while the Washington Post called it “a promising disaster that doesn’t need to be”.
Overheating issues, latency, and many missing features are just some of the complaints expressed about this device, which is priced at $699 plus a $24 monthly subscription. Although Humane AI claims that the device will improve over time, doubts emerge about the real feasibility of this promise, especially considering that the company laid off 4% of its employees a few months before the launch. AI Pin is currently only available in the United States, and a release date in Europe has not been announced.