The concept of Humane AI Pin is quite innovative: it is a screenless smartphone. This compact wearable device eliminates the traditional way of opening applications and typing on a keyboard, instead abstracting all functions and handing them over to an AI assistant and operating system called CosmOS. Whether it's making phone calls, sending text messages, calculating tips, or taking notes, users only need to ask AI Pin. It stays online through cellular network connection (currently only supported by T-Mobile and cannot be connected to existing numbers) and uses an AI model network to answer questions and execute commands. It is not a single application, but a collection of numerous applications.
Humane has been promoting the idea that AI Pin heralds the post-smartphone era, where people will no longer be trapped in the quagmire of smartphone screens and instead spend more time in real life. However, the underlying mechanisms, whether it meets people's expectations, and the feasibility of implementation are all fundamental questions that need to be addressed in the future development of the relationship between humans and technology.
In the process of evaluating AI Pin, we focused on two core questions. The first question is: does this device have a purpose? After nearly two weeks of testing, we found that it does have several shortcomings in practical applications. Many times, users simply want to check the time, take notes, or send text messages, but end up getting immersed in TikTok, emails, or other screen notifications. Additionally, trying to balance the phone while hands are busy holding things or driving poses significant inconvenience and safety risks.
This leads to the second question: should consumers buy this product? The answer seems clear. At this stage, it is not recommended to purchase AI Pin. Although the concept of AI Pin is innovative, it has many imperfections in practical operation. Many functions perform poorly, and even basic tasks are sometimes difficult to accomplish. Whether it is hardware, software, or GPT-4 technology, they have not yet reached a mature and usable state.
From the perspective of appearance and wearing position, AI Pin leaves a deep impression. It is compact and even smaller than imagined, about the size of four coins arranged in a square or half a piece of Orbit gum packaging. Although lightweight (about 55 grams), it is structurally sturdy, made of aluminum material, and can withstand drops or occasional trips in the washing machine.
However, due to the unique usage of AI Pin, it has high design requirements. In all of Humane's demonstrations and marketing, AI Pin is usually placed below the clavicle on the right or left chest, fixed by a magnet that also serves as a "battery booster." It is like a brooch on a lapel, although it may be a bit cumbersome to place, the magnet can firmly secure it unless the clothes are very thick. Users are not required to use it in this way - it can be handheld or even interacted with when placed on a desktop charger. However, the microphone design built into AI Pin makes the sound clearest from that specific angle; the slightly downward-facing camera captures the clearest images from that position, and the upward-facing speaker provides the best sound effects.
Placing AI Pin on the chest allows users to easily touch it, and even wake it up with just one finger. Whenever interaction with AI Pin is needed, users only need to hold down the touchpad in front of it (the device does not listen for specific wake-up words) and then ask a question or give a command. AI Pin can respond to various requests, from answering basic ChatGPT-style questions to making phone calls, taking photos, sending text messages, and querying nearby information. In addition, some shortcut operations can be performed by tapping the touchpad, such as double-tapping with two fingers to take a photo or double-tapping and long-pressing with two fingers to record a video.
Placing AI Pin within reach increases its frequency of use and is even used to perform simple tasks that would not normally require taking out a phone. This is similar to the situation ten years ago when Alexa and Siri first emerged. People found it much more convenient to set a 10-minute timer with a voice command than to open the clock app on their phones - and they could easily operate it even with their fingers covered in something.
However, wait a minute, AI Pin cannot set alarms or timers. It also cannot add things to your schedule or tell you what's already there. You can create notes and lists - they appear in the Humane Center web application, which is where you connect the device to contacts and view uploaded photos - but if you try to add content to the list later, it almost always fails for some reason. The problem with many voice assistants is that they can't do much - and AI Pin can do even less.
Humane claims that they are researching these features, and over time, as AI models and interfaces improve, these features will definitely get better. Bongiorno mentioned that there will be a major software update this summer, adding features such as timers, calendar access, and more ways to use the touchpad.
Every time AI Pin tries to do something seemingly simple, it has to process your query through Humane's servers, which can be quite slow at best and completely fail at worst. Asking AI Pin to write down the book sale event at the library next week is very convenient! But waiting for it to process, process, and then throw out a generic "unable to add" error message makes it less convenient. After several days of testing, the only thing I can truly rely on AI Pin for is telling the time.
The more I test AI Pin, the more I realize that it is trying to do too much, and the hardware seems to be unable to keep up. Firstly, it is almost always warm. During testing, it never became uncomfortably hot, but even after just a few minutes of use, you can feel the battery warming against your skin like a hand warmer. Bongiorno said that the heat may be due to excessive use or poor signal, and the device will shut down automatically when it overheats. As long as you use AI Pin for more than a few minutes, you will receive a notification saying it is overheating and needs to cool down.
The battery life is equally poor. AI Pin comes with two battery boosters, a charging case, and a desktop charger, and you will often use all of these accessories. In a few hours of heavy testing, both boosters and the smaller internal battery of AI Pin were drained. Once, AI Pin and a booster remained motionless for five hours and completely depleted from a full charge. AI Pin wants to do too much, but it seems to be unable to keep up.
To be fair, this device is not intended for frequent use. The entire design concept of AI Pin is to allow quick use and then exit, returning to a life free from technological distractions. During the testing days - which usually included making a few phone calls, sending a few text messages, asking a few questions like how many teaspoons are in a tablespoon and whether dogs can eat grapes, and possibly listening to music for half an hour - there were not many overheating issues, although the battery was depleted before the end of the day. As long as you don't excessively use the projector, AI Pin can barely cope. However, if you are going to spend so much money and stick such a conspicuous thing on yourself, it needs to do better than just barely coping.
The closest thing to a screen on AI Pin is its "laser ink" projector. You can summon it by tapping the touchpad or asking it to "show me" something. If AI Pin is speaking loudly to you, you can also raise your hand and it will switch to projecting the text onto your hand. The projector is also used to access settings, unlock the device, etc.
Whenever AI Pin wants to project, it first emits a green dot to find your hand. (It only projects onto the hand, so the dream of projecting text onto the side of a building is shattered.) The projector has a resolution of 720p, and the effect is poor, only projecting green light. However, unless in bright light, it is sufficient to project text onto your hand. In bright light, it is almost invisible.
The user interface of the projector is a mess. To unlock the device (which needs to be done every time AI Pin is attached to the body with a magnet), you need to move your hand forward and backward through a series of numbers, and then pinch your thumb and index finger to select a number. It's a bit like sliding a trombone. After unlocking, you will see a home screen-like interface where you can check if you have received recent text messages or calls, and view the time, date, and weather through a menu. To scroll, you need to tilt your hand very slightly forward and backward. To enter settings, you need to move your hand away from your body - but not too far, otherwise the projector will lose track - until a new radial menu appears. To navigate the menu, you should scroll your hand like a marble in your palm.
Subjectively, it seems that Humane went to great lengths in the product and interface design because they decided early on that AI Pin should not have a screen. However, a small touch screen could handle these things better. Humane's bold attempt is commendable, but if you want to do what a phone does, just make a phone.
One impressive thing AI Pin has done is when you stand in front of a store or restaurant, you can simply tap on the touchpad and say, "Check out this restaurant, tell me how it's rated." AI Pin will then capture a photo with its camera, use image recognition models, and search for relevant reviews online to present the results to you.
This is undoubtedly an ideal state, and accomplishing such a task on a smartphone often requires more time and steps. However, in actual use, it does not translate the content but rather repeats it with a poor and occasionally mocking accent.
The language issue reflects a larger challenge faced by AI Pin, ChatGPT, and all other AI products: you cannot see how they work, so you cannot figure out how to use them. AI supporters believe that this is the charm of technology - it works on its own, and you don't need to know how to use it. However, our world is not like that. In contrast, our phones are constantly providing feedback - colored buttons tell us what to press, and the phone responds immediately to every touch, pinch, or scroll. You can clearly see your options and what will happen when you choose an option. But AI doesn't give you that feedback. Using AI Pin is like making a wish on a star: you can only close your eyes and hope for the best. Most of the time, nothing happens.
AI Pin still has a long way to go before AI in the field becomes better, faster, and more practical. It is just a test version, a prototype, a proof of concept. Perhaps one day, an outstanding device that can accomplish all these tasks will emerge.
