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Journalism of Courage
The long-awaited Humane Ai Pin has finally hit the market, and early reviews are in. This wearable device promises to be a “second brain” and a new approach to personal computing, but does it live up to the hype? Let’s dive into what reviewers have to say about its features and performance.
At a steep $699 plus a $24 monthly subscription, the Ai Pin comes with a hefty price tag. For that cost, you get a wearable pin with a built-in microphone, camera, and projection capabilities, powered by Humane’s Cosmos operating system. The idea is that you can interact with the device hands-free by tapping and talking to it, much like the communicators in Star Trek. It can be attached to your clothing, specifically near your chest, freeing your hands for other tasks.
One of the Ai Pin’s standout features is its real-time translation capability, which several reviewers praised for its accuracy and natural-sounding voice. Julian Chokkattu from Wired described it as “solid” and was impressed by how quickly it could translate between languages without needing to specify which one the speaker was using.
However, the Ai Pin stumbles when it comes to other core features. Many reviewers found it slow and often unresponsive, with David Pierce from The Verge noting that it can take up to 10 seconds just to get a weather report. Cherlynn Low from Engadget described it as “finicky” and lamented that it couldn’t execute tasks better than a smartphone.
The Pin’s camera and projector capabilities also received mixed reviews. For the uninitiated, the device has a Laser Ink projector that allows your hand to become a display for menus and experiences. You can interact with this display by tilting and rolling your hand, and make selections by closing your fingers.
While the reviewers found this projector exciting initially, they felt it was difficult to interact with via gestures and nearly impossible to see in daylight. As for the camera, Raymond Wong from Inverse called it “terrible,” with poor image quality akin to an iPhone 4.
Another major issue seems to be the Ai Pin’s tendency to provide inaccurate or outright false information. Chokkattu shared instances where the device lied about California banning high-fructose corn syrup and misidentified landmarks. As he put it, “the AI lies, and it does so with extreme confidence.”
Hallucination continues to be a major shortcoming of generative AI tech, and the Pin, which is powered by Gemini and a few other AI models, cannot magically overcome this.
Despite these shortcomings, some reviewers remained optimistic about the Ai Pin’s potential. Pierce acknowledged that while the current version is frustrating and not worth the cost, he hopes Humane will continue to improve and eventually make a more compelling product.
Wong echoed this sentiment, viewing the Ai Pin as a first-generation product with compromises that can be addressed in future iterations, much like iconic devices from Apple and other tech giants.
One aspect that did impress reviewers was the Ai Pin’s hardware design. Both Pierce and Velazco described it as extremely well-made and natural to use, thanks to its proximity to you, despite some ergonomic issues like overheating when used extensively.
Overall, the consensus among early reviewers seems to be that the Humane Ai Pin is an ambitious but incomplete product. Its core features, like voice interaction and real-time translation, show promise, but they’re overshadowed by performance issues, lack of functionality, and occasional inaccuracies.
The thing is, Humane itself acknowledges that the device isn’t exactly at its prime. There’s a reason why the ‘i’ in the Ai Pin is written that way: “To signify we’re in the early days of artificial intelligence,” Bethany Bongiorno, Humane’s CEO, told Inverse.
For those eager to embrace the next generation of personal computing, the Ai Pin may be worth keeping an eye on as Humane continues to refine and update it. But in its current state, most reviewers suggest holding off and sticking with tried-and-true smartphones and digital assistants for now.
In the meantime, you can take a look at how the device stacks up against the Rabbit R1 – another miniature gadget designed with the vision of perhaps one day replacing your smartphone.
