image source, Getty Images
- author, Zoe Kleinman
- role, Technology editor
A new AI-powered wearable device designed by two former Apple executives has been panned by critics.
AI pins are small square brooches that can answer questions, take photos or videos, and send messages.
Its maker, Humane, suggested it could “reimagine the relationship between humans and technology.”
Critics disagree. “This product has basically always been bad in almost every way it works,” Marquez Brownlee wrote.
One of the world's best-known technology commentators with 18.5 million followers on YouTube, he said in a 25-minute review that while it's a good idea in theory, in practice he's never seen it before. I said it was the worst product I've reviewed.
I asked to try out the AI pin and was told it was not currently available in the UK.
It will initially be available only in the US and will cost $700, plus a monthly subscription of $24.99. Humane has raised approximately $250 million in funding for development.
It doesn't have a screen, but it can project an image onto the wearer's hand and comes with some basic gesture controls.
It has a phone number, but it can't be synced with your existing smartphone and there's no bespoke app.
Those who have acquired the device are unabashedly critical.
“After many days of testing, the only thing you can really rely on an AI pin to do is tell you the time,” David Pearce, writing for the tech site The Verge, said.
Several reviewers mentioned the seemingly short battery life and the need to charge it multiple times throughout the day.
Joanna Stern of the Wall Street Journal was among those who said they felt the pins get hot while wearing them.
Humane did not respond to the BBC's request for comment, but Sam Sheffer, Humane's head of new media, admitted on X (formerly Twitter) that the software is “not where it should be.”
“Feedback is a gift. We continue to reflect, listen, learn, and build.” I have written In response to Mr. Brownlee's review.
Pin provides answers to two of the technology industry's most serious questions: Is there any device that can truly challenge the smartphone, and will the AI revolution usher in a new generation of hardware? Whether or not, it is attracting a lot of attention.
Francisco Geronimo, an analyst at market research firm IDC, told the BBC that the Pin is a “very interesting device” but that it “makes no sense” from an end-user perspective.
He said he was concerned that the same thing would apply to AI gadgets, such as the similarly touted Rabbit R1 assistant.
He said these devices hint at what intelligent products can offer us in the future, but they haven't delivered it yet.
Humane, which laid off staff earlier this year, says further updates to the device will be coming in the summer.
Humane co-founder writes about X Bethany Bongiorno admitted There is much work to be done, but her company was adamant that it would not be deterred by the negative press.
“If you're an architect, don't stop, don't give up, keep going,” she wrote.
