Humane Inc.

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Humane Inc.
Company typePrivate
Founded2018; 6 years ago (2018)
Founder
HeadquartersSan Francisco, California, US
ProductsAi Pin
Number of employees
200
Websitehumane.com

Humane Inc. (stylized as hu.ma.ne[1]) is an American consumer electronics company founded in 2018 by Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno.[2][3] The company designed and developed the Ai Pin, which started shipping in April 2024 but received poor reviews.[4]

History

[edit]

Humane was founded by Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno[5] in 2018; the couple previously worked at Apple Inc.[3] The startup emerged from stealth mode in 2021.[6][7]

By November 2023, the company had raised $230 million,[8] with notable investors such as Marc Benioff, Sam Altman, Tiger Global, SoftBank, Qualcomm, Microsoft, LG, Volvo, and Salesforce. Microsoft and OpenAI also announced partnerships with Humane.[9]

In January 2024, the company laid off 4% of its staff (10 employees).[10]

On May 22, 2024, Bloomberg reported news that Humane was seeking a buyer for its business, initially considering offers in the $750 million to $1 billion range.[11] The New York Times reported that Humane had been in talks with HP.[12]

Ai Pin

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The Ai Pin is a wearable device, meant to be attached to the user's shirt at chest level. It is a voice assistant and cellular phone, equipped with a camera, and a limited monochrome "screen" that's projected onto the user's hand on demand. The user mostly interacts with the device through a small touchpad, and also hand gestures when the projection screen is active.[13]

Chaudhri revealed the device and demonstrated its features during a TED Talk in May 2023,[14][15] and it was later showcased at Paris Fashion Week in September.[16] Humane announced the device's name in July 2023.[17][18] It was formally announced on November 9, 2023, and sales started one week later at a price of $699.[12][8] The Ai Pin was featured by Time in its Best 200 Inventions of 2023, which was published before the product was released and without the magazine being provided a review unit for testing.[19] Time's co-chairs, Marc and Lynne Benioff, are investors in Humane.[19]

The device began shipping in April 2024.[4] Despite concerns raised by employees, Humane never hired a head of marketing. The company had hoped for 100,000 sales by the end of the year, but until August only shipped 10,000 units.[12][20]

Reception

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The Ai Pin has received generally negative reviews, praising its product design but criticizing the limited battery life and how easily the device overheats in just a few minutes.[21][22] The New York Times reported that due to overheating problems, Humane executives would use ice packs to chill the pin before previewing it to investors or partners.[12]

The Verge wrote, "After many days of testing, the one and only thing I can truly rely on the Ai Pin to do is tell me the time."[21] The review from Inverse stated that it "is slow to answer even basic questions."[22] Fast Company noted that "Almost everything about the pin was a UX disaster for reviewers."[23]

Tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee (aka MKBHD) titled his review video of the Ai Pin "The worst product I've ever reviewed". This was one of the more famous reactions reviewers had about the Ai Pin. [24][25]

In response to the criticism, lead Ai Pin engineer Ken Kocienda said that he used the product "all the time" but did find it "frustrating sometimes" in the same way as a laptop or smartphone.[26]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Gallagher, William (March 8, 2023). "After 5 years of nothing, Humane 'startup' is now shifting to AI". AppleInsider. Archived from the original on November 9, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  2. ^ Griffith, Erin; Mickle, Tripp (November 9, 2023). "Silicon Valley's Big, Bold Sci-Fi Bet on the Device That Comes After the Smartphone - Humane, a company started by two former Apple employees, says its new artificial intelligence pin can stop all the scrolling. Can it live up to the hype?". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 10, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Porter, Jon (March 9, 2023). "Is buzzy startup Humane's big idea a wearable camera?". The Verge. Archived from the original on April 1, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Heater, Brian (February 23, 2024). "Humane pushes Ai Pin ship date to mid-April". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on April 25, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  5. ^ Brown, Damon (December 20, 2019). "How to Know It's Time to Leave Your Prominent Job". Inc. Magazine. Archived from the original on November 4, 2023.
  6. ^ Lunden, Ingrid (September 1, 2021). "Humane, a stealthy hardware and software startup co-founded by an ex-Apple designer and engineer, raises $100M". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on March 22, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  7. ^ "This Week in AI: Open AI Disables Internet Browsing, Humane's first "Ai Pin" reveal, Japan's Education Ministry Releases AI Guidelines, and Wimbledon Picks up AI". niural. Archived from the original on April 18, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  8. ^ a b Dave, Paresh (November 9, 2023). "Humane's Ai Pin is a $700 Smartphone Alternative You Wear All Day". Wired. Archived from the original on May 1, 2024. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  9. ^ Tilley, Aaron (March 8, 2023). "WSJ News Exclusive | Startup by Ex-Apple Executives Raises $100 Million, Partners With OpenAI, Microsoft". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  10. ^ Dent, Steve (January 10, 2024). "Humane lays off staff before its 'Ai Pin' begins shipping". Engadget. Archived from the original on February 4, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  11. ^ "Wearable AI Startup Humane Explores Potential Sale, Sources Say". Bloomberg. May 22, 2024. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c d Mickle, Tripp; Griffith, Erin (June 6, 2024). "'This Is Going to Be Painful': How a Bold A.I. Device Flopped". The New York Times.
  13. ^ Amadeo, Ron (November 10, 2023). "The Humane AI Pin is a bizarre cross between Google Glass and a pager". Ars Technica. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  14. ^ Kastrenakes, Jacob (May 9, 2023). "Humane's new wearable AI demo is wild to watch — and we have lots of questions". The Verge. Archived from the original on April 17, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  15. ^ Fried, Ina (April 20, 2023). "Humane previews AI-powered wearable". Axios. Archived from the original on December 5, 2023.
  16. ^ Davis, Wes (September 30, 2023). "The Humane Ai Pin makes its debut on the runway at Paris Fashion Week". The Verge. Archived from the original on April 17, 2024. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  17. ^ Orr, Andrew (July 3, 2023). "Humane announces its wearable phone will be named 'Humane AI Pin'". AppleInsider. Archived from the original on November 4, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  18. ^ Heater, Brian (September 30, 2023). "Humane's 'Ai Pin' debuts on the Paris runway". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on April 25, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  19. ^ a b Dixit, Pranav (October 24, 2023). "Humane Ai Pin: The 200 Best Inventions of 2023". Time. Rethinking the Smartphone. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  20. ^ "People are returning Humane AI Pins faster than the company can sell them". Engadget. August 7, 2024. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  21. ^ a b Pierce, David (April 11, 2024). "Humane AI Pin review: not even close". The Verge. Photography by Amelia Holowaty Krales. Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  22. ^ a b Wong, Raymond (April 11, 2024). "The Agony and Ecstasy of Reviewing Humane's Ai Pin". Inverse. Archived from the original on April 24, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  23. ^ Snelling, Grace (April 12, 2024). "Humane's Ai Pin was never going to be great". Fast Company. Archived from the original on April 20, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  24. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TitZV6k8zfA
  25. ^ Heath, Alex (April 16, 2024). "MKBHD Calls the Humane Ai Pin the Worst Product I've Ever Reviewed". The Verge. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  26. ^ Mann, Jyoti. "Humane's head engineer defends its Ai Pin against scathing reviews, but admits it's 'frustrating sometimes'". Business Insider. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
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