With the advent of AI technology, numerous projects have been in the pipeline to take advantage of the technology. In November 2023, the company Humane revealed its offering to the industry – the AI pin. It will be the company’s first device. It comes with a price tag of $699 and will start being delivered in March 2024. In functionality, the AI pin is a cross between traditional pagers and modern AI voice assistants that you find on smartphones. Humane, founded by former employees of Apple, believes that this device will be the successor to the smartphone.
The AI pin comes in two parts: the main square device and the accompanying battery pack. Using its built-in magnet, the device will attach to your garments or other surfaces. The device will run on a quad-core Snapdragon processor. It will also feature a dedicated AI engine from Qualcomm to power the device’s Cosmos OS. There are three colors available at release. Two of the variants will have a higher price tag of $100. Furthermore, buyers will have to purchase a monthly subscription from Humane for $24. This will provide data coverage and a phone number via T-Mobile. Preorders have already been available since November 16th.
The Purpose Behind The AI Pin
Humane’s primary objective behind the AI Pin is to remove as many interfaces as it can from your everyday technology. As such, the device does not feature any screens. It will also not feature any kind of home screen or a host of settings or require multiple accounts to access. The idea, simply put, is to let the device be functional only via voice or one touch. Ideally, you will only have to tell it what you want done or want to know, and the device will respond accordingly. It is basically the gadget form of how we have recently used chatbots via simple text commands.
Voice messaging is one of the features of the AI pin. Another specialty is the “catch me up” feature. In the tech demos and teaser trailers, the user can be seen giving the voice command to the device. In response, the device summarizes and highlights the most important messages from your email inbox. However, there has been considerable criticism as to how the device decides which of the emails are important enough for the summary.
The device has a built-in 13-megapixel camera to relay and take in visual information. An update to the software also promises to give it the ability to capture videos. The device can track real-time nutritional information if you hold up food to the camera while eating. Apart from these features, the device appears to be a wearable search engine. According to interviews, shopping and navigation capabilities are in the pipeline. Humane also plans to let developers create their own tools for the device.
How Much Do We Need This Device?
The AI Pin weighs only 34 grams, so it is almost negligible on your body. However, the additional “battery booster” will add extra weight. As for the camera, Humane says that it will never be active. In fact, unlike devices like the Rewind Pendant and other AI assistants, it won’t even have wake words. Users will have to manually tap and drag the touchpad on the device. This will flash the “Trust Light” of the Pin that will inform everyone around that data is being recorded.
The interface of the device is a futuristic laser display system. It is a projection system that uses a 720o, 25 mW laser beam to scan and project information on a surface in a monochrome teal color. However, users are advised not to point it at their eyes since it will be harmful. To use it, simply place your palm in front of the device. This will automatically turn on the laser projector and you can see a smartwatch-like UI. It will feature big buttons, one task, 3-4 lines of text, and minimal controls.
According to Humane, the AI pin’s primary job is to connect to AI models via the AI mic, the company’s software. According to press releases, Microsoft and OpenAI are involved in this process, further mentioning GPT-4 as a key feature. Humane claims Cosmos will automatically decide the best tools for your queries and direct them there. This should reduce the need for downloading and managing apps. For Humane, the AI Pin seems to be only the beginning. The company touts that it is a faster way to do most things your smartphone can. However, for now, the smartphone remains more accessible and powerful. Nevertheless, hopefully, further advancements can help fulfill the vision of Humane.
Read More: 9 Risks and Dangers of Artificial Intelligence
Sources
- “Humane officially launches the AI Pin, its OpenAI-powered wearable / It’s a gadget designed for interacting with large language models, not apps, and for talking instead of typing. But it’s not yet entirely clear what you’re supposed to use it for.” The Verge. David Pierce. November 9, 2023.
- “Humane AI Pin orders will start shipping in March.” Engadget. Will Shanklin. December 23, 2023.
