Author: Kim Berard

You must have known that I would be writing about the new human-friendly AI Pins, right?

After all, I’ve been calling for the next big thing to replace smartphones just last month, and six years ago, so when a startup like Humane says it’s going to do just that, it gets my attention. Even more interesting is that it is promoted as an artificial intelligence device that redefines “the way we interact with artificial intelligence.” It’s like catnip to me.

For those who missed the hype – and there have been a lot of Humane, a Silicon Valley startup founded by two former Apple employees, Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno (who is married), has been around for several months. They left Apple in 2016 and came up with the idea for the AI ​​​​Pin in 2018 and are preparing to launch the actual device early next year. It can be worn as a pin on your lapel and starts at $699, with a $24 monthly subscription required (including wireless connectivity). Orders start on November 16th.

Partners include OpenAI, Microsoft, T-Mobile, Tidal and Qualcomm.

gentlemen.chowdhury told New York Times Artificial intelligence “can create an experience where the computer basically takes a backseat.” he also told TechCrunch AI Pin represents “a new way of thinking, a new sense of opportunity” and it will “productize artificial intelligence” (well, what is everyone else in the AI ​​field doing?).

Humane’s press release details:

Aipin redefines the way we interact with artificial intelligence. Talk to it naturally, use the intuitive trackpad, hold up objects, use gestures or interact through the groundbreaking laser ink display projected onto your palm. The unique screen-less user interface is designed to blend into the background while bringing the power of artificial intelligence to you in a multi-modal and seamless way.

Basically, you wear a pin that’s connected to an AI that listens and responds to your requests. It can respond verbally, or it can project a laser display onto your palm, which you can control through a variety of gestures that I may be too old to learn, but young people will undoubtedly learn quickly. It can take photos or videos, which laser displays obviously don’t project very well at the moment.

This is Humane’s introductory video:

Some cool features worth noting:

• It can summarize your message/email;
• You can make phone calls or send text messages;
• It can search the Internet for you to answer questions/find information;
• It can act as a translator;
• It has trust features, including not always listening, and a “trust light” that indicates when to listen.

It doesn’t rely on apps; instead, it uses “artificial intelligence experiences” on the device and in the cloud to accomplish whatever a smartphone app is trying to accomplish. “Instead, it quickly learns your needs and provides you with the right AI experience or service immediately,” the press release boasted.

Ken Kocienda, director of product engineering at Humane, compared AI Pins to the addictive bias of smartphones, he told Erin Griffin New Era: “It’s more of a pull rather than pushing content at you like the iPhone does.”

Health and nutrition are said to be an early focus, although currently it’s mainly calorie counting.

Ms. Griffin summed up AI Pin this way: “Like any new technology, it’s both amazing and awkward.” inverse’Ian Carlos Campbell was also impressed: “All in all, the Ai Pin is as exciting as all the big swings, except that Humane seems to back up its claims.”

Mark Wilson fast company, He, on the other hand, was more reserved, noting: “Actually, the AI ​​Pin reminds me of the Echo Dot on your chest,” and wondering: “Where is all the magic stuff? … This stuff is in Where, because the AI ​​Pin is so openly thrust upon us, do the rest of its requirements disappear?”

Mr Chaudhry defended the use of pins rather than other versions of smart glasses, telling Mr Wilson:

Contextual computing has always been considered something that must be worn on the face. There are a lot of problems with that… If you look at the power of context and you see that’s a barrier to contextual computing, then there has to be another way. So we started thinking about what would make us more personal? We think about the fact that we all wear clothes, so how do we decorate a device that gives us context about our clothes?

Or, as Mr. Chaudhry said earlier this year: “The future is not in your face.”

Mr. Wilson was unconvinced:

In short, the problem with Humane isn’t that wearable assistants are an inherently flawed idea, but that Chaudhri’s product doesn’t yet solve the problem he’s already diagnosed and set out to alleviate: removing the screen would solve our dependence on technology. …..It seems humanity is not unlocking the potential of artificial intelligence today, let alone tomorrow, nor is it fundamentally solving any of the big problems we have with technology.

To be honest, it wasn’t everything I hoped for either. Artificial intelligence is impressive, but currently still limited. Laser displays are cool, but they’re not really ready for prime time. The stitching is smooth, as one would expect from an Apple alum, but I don’t even want to know this is a device; I want it embedded in my clothing, perhaps worn as a “smart tattoo.”

But these are indeed quibbles. Artificial intelligence will become more useful. The device will become smaller. The display effect will be much better. As others have pointed out, the iPod was a revolution, but had limitations, and led to the iPhone, which itself was quite limited initially. Likewise, AI Pin should become very, very powerful and have an even better successor.

Ms. Bongiorno and Mr. Chaudhri stated in the press release:

AI pin is the embodiment of our vision to integrate artificial intelligence into our daily lives, empowering us without overshadowing our humanity. We’re proud to finally unveil what we and the Humane team have been working on for the past four years. For us, love products are just the beginning.

At the end of the introductory video, Mr. Chaudhri promises: “Our purpose at Humane is to build the world for tomorrow, not what it is today.” We should all be designing for it.

Kim is a former electronics marketing executive for a major Blues program, editor of the late and regrettable Tincture.io, and now a regular contributor to THCB