Could This AI Pin Replace Google?

San Francisco’s Humane has unveiled the Ai Pin, a lapel pin-style wearable AI assistant, on Thursday. This innovative device, devoid of a screen, projects text and images onto a palm using a laser. It includes a camera for object recognition and capturing video memories. Notably, Humane’s collaboration with Microsoft, OpenAI, Qualcomm, and T-Mobile aims to pioneer AI-driven personal mobile computing.

The Ai Pin, priced at $699 with a $24 monthly wireless fee, is available for pre-order in the U.S., with deliveries starting in early 2024. It operates on a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, featuring a Qualcomm AI Engine, a “personic speaker,” Bluetooth connectivity, microphone, and multiple sensors. Uniquely, it functions independently, without needing a smartphone, and user data is managed through the Humane.center website.

User privacy is a priority, with activation only on user command and no constant listening or recording. A trust light indicates sensor activity. The Ai Pin boasts AI capabilities like email summarization, personalized messaging, foreign language interpretation, and nutrition assistance through computer vision. It will also evolve with new updates and features an AI-enhanced music experience via Tidal.

Humane, founded by former Apple executives Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno in 2019, introduces the Ai Pin amidst growing interest in AI post-ChatGPT. While skeptics compare its prospects to past tech failures like Google Glass, the market for consumer AI devices is expanding. For example, Meta Platforms recently launched its Ray-Bans Meta smart glasses, and OpenAI and Apple’s former chief design officer, Jony Ive, are reportedly collaborating on an AI hardware device.