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Jarren Rocks

The Humane AI Pin is an optimistic take of the future, even if their presentation is a bit less than human-feeling.&nbsp;

It's obvious that Humane is optimistic about the future and the way that we interact with technology. They don't want people to be glued to their screens all the time, they think technology should seamlessly integrate into the background and fabric of our world. I'd tend to agree.

 Ignoring the technical issues in their demo, like their AI presenting information incorrectly, the AI Pin feels similar to something straight out of Star Trek.

While it's an interesting sentiment, it still seems like there are still big plot points missing. Many people want to be able to read, they want to be teleported into a different space. The AI pin necessitates a world fully immersed in the <i>now</i>, which means that we can't really use this device to show us something different. 

And yet, even in the world of the now, it still seems to fall short. 

It's not a tool to capture yourself, as there's no way for you to be included in a photo; you can only extend to some degree what your eyes can see.&nbsp;

The Pin has to be worn like a badge instead of being able to be hidden away in a pocket. If you'd attach it to the lower part of your shirt like they show in Time Magazine’s photos,&nbsp; the camera can't capture anything but the ground. Honestly it'd be surprising if the mic even picked up your voice at that distance. 

Even if you have a headphone in, you still have to have the badge on, vs. a phone in your pocket. Of course nothing says subtle like a flashing light on your chest whenever it's activated. What if a text message is inappropriate? Is it going to paraphrase messages for me or is it going to read them back directly? When I get restaurant suggestions, or product purchases, who's services am I using? Can I switch it on the fly?

I've used every assistant. Siri, Google's voice assistant, as well as ChatGPT (and custom LLM integrations into Siri/Shortcuts), and I think at this point in time I wouldn't want my only interface with a device to be through this medium. As a secondary option, it's nice. But as an enforced, single interface, it seems tedious -and that's even projecting 50 years out to some utopian version of the world.&nbsp;

I'm open to the Star Trek-emblem future that interfaces with technology using voice, but I don't want it enforced. 

<b>I want both options, not only one.&nbsp;</b>

Perhaps that doesn't put me in the target demographic, but it's likely that person who is ready to get rid of their phone for this device, is probably the same type of person who is ready to use a flip phone.

I still don't think the only interface should be voice (or some projector onto my hand), and if anything, it seems like a pair of AR glasses solves for these use-cases in better ways (aside from the fact that I'd have to have on glasses). I can have displays if I want them, I can have a voice assistant that plays audio directly into my ears, I can capture content with cameras, and I have a microphone that I can use to capture audio. The Humane AI Pin is chiseling out a niche in a market that I don't think exists, at least not to the commercial scale that they might be imagining.

To me, this seems like a version of reality similar to the Light Phone; an e-paper display for people who don't want to be attached to their devices. But I don't know if this is something that is going to truly become a replacement to an existing phone, or at least if it does, it would be for a niche community of users. We should think of the Humane AI Pin as a new player in the smart devices market, not as a replacement.

And with that perspective in mind, the Nothing company has raised $96 million in funding, and the Light phone has raised $11 million in funding. Humane has raised $230 million. So it seems like their product is either well overfunded or perhaps they have a few more secrets up their sleeve.

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