Verdicts have been delivered on the Humane AI Pin and the consensus appears to be a very underwhelming one.

The gadget was supposed to be the beginning of a post-smartphone future in which humans spend less time gazing down into their hands and more present in the active real world around us. It sounds very impressive but the reality is the ambition is nowhere near being delivered.

Humane’s idea is the creation of a phone without a screen. You don’t scroll, tap on a keyboard or toggle through apps. Instead, you command the trusty AI assistant powered by an operating system known as CosmOS.

If you want to make a call, check the weather, or search for the best local pizza joint, you ask the AI Pin.

a brief explainer on how ai pin and cosmos (our ai os) work
narrated and illustrated by pic.twitter.com/gHKVJiwz0q
— Humane () April 3, 2024
Nothing more than a party trick

This is where things go downhill. On the question of whether you should buy the AI Pin, the response from The Verge is scathing.

“Nope. Nuh-uh. No way. The AI Pin is an interesting idea that is so thoroughly unfinished and so totally broken in so many unacceptable ways that I can’t think of anyone to whom I’d recommend spending the $699 for the device and the $24 monthly subscription.”

The Pin is supposed to be worn high on your chest, making it reachable by both hands. You can quickly reach for the touchpad which also activates the microphone so you can ask one of many things to the no-screen device.

When you want to read an incoming message, you hold your hand up to act as a projector and the Pin beams the details onto your hand. Very clever, except it doesn’t appear to work very well in the sunshine.

The Washington Post stated, “the projector is basically unreadable when you’re in the sun. Summer’s just around the corner, and it’s sure to offer plenty of warm days I don’t want my phone to get in the way of, but the Pin is much less useful in broad daylight.” 

Wired critiqued the results from the Mic and Vision features of the AI Pin finding they cannot be trusted.

“Unfortunately, there’s not much else to do with it as it’s missing a great many features. The Humane AI Pin could be an interesting gadget a year from now after promised software updates, but at the moment it’s a party trick.”

On the camera, Wired also cautioned several people appeared to think the reviewer was wearing a camera and had to explain to a bartender what it was. That experience could be a hairy one depending on the manner and behaviour of whoever is posing the question.

Endgadget panned the camera with its conclusion that a 2012 Nokia E7 produces better pictures in the dark than the Humane Pin and it overheated after too much use, something which was noted elsewhere.

Some have noted how the device is a work in progress and absolutely nowhere near the finished article despite the product going to market.

A concise slam dunk is delivered by The Verge on the overall assessment of Humane’s AI Pin.

“AI gadgets might one day be great. But this isn’t that day, and the AI Pin isn’t that product. I’ll take my phone back now, thanks.”

Image credit: Humane/X