Humane AI Pin (2023)

In 2023, I started following AI hardware for consumers. This is a summary of a blog post I wrote on Humane's AI Pin. HP bought the assets in February 2025.

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Original Post

Humane's $699 Ai Pin launched with bold promises: replace your smartphone with AI-powered voice control, computer vision, and a laser display projected on your palm. The result? An engineering marvel that proved a crucial point about AI hardware.

What Humane Got Right

Engineering density matters. Packing smartwatch-level processing into a screenless pin is impressive. The computer vision demo—estimating protein content of almonds in real-time—showed what's possible when AI chips meet edge computing.

Context-aware AI changes interfaces. The pin remembered previous conversations, letting users say "What's my next meeting?" instead of rigid command phrases. This reactive intelligence hints at where AI hardware is heading.

Natural language creates shortcuts. Voice interfaces work brilliantly for quick queries: "Did my check clear?" beats scrolling through banking apps. The right interface for the right task matters.

What the Market Rejected

Utility doesn't match the price. At $699 plus $24 monthly, the Ai Pin couldn't justify displacing devices consumers already own. Smartphones took 20 years to achieve ubiquity. Smartwatches took a decade to reach 26% adoption. The Ai Pin needed more than clever engineering.

Voice isn't always the answer. Shopping for a car? You want side-by-side comparisons. Designing a holiday card? You need visual editing. Conversational interfaces excel at efficiency but fail at complexity.

Consumer behavior changes slowly. Only 23% of US adults feel comfortable using voice for information. Just 13% prefer voice control. Changing interface preferences requires time, distribution, and hands-on experience Humane couldn't provide.