At the end of 2023, the start-up Humane made a lot of noise by predicting the disappearance of the smartphone. With its AI Pin, a badge that includes an assistant boosted by generative AI, the firm promised to supplant the essential mobile phone. Unfortunately for Humane, the accessory was a monumental failure. By general consensus, the AI Pin, which we tested at MWC 2024, suffers from a huge number of major flaws. Above all, the integrated artificial intelligence takes an abominably long time to respond to requests.
Less than a year after its arrival on the market, Humane has therefore decided to stop its efforts. The start-up has just been acquired by HP, our colleagues at Bloomberg report. Note that Humane started looking for a buyer shortly after the announcement of the Pin, around last May. The failed launch of the gadget had convinced the entrepreneurs behind Humane to find a way out.
AI by Humane at HP for $116 million
According to Bloomberg, HP is paying only $116 million to get its hands on the start-up, which was thought to be worth between $750 million and $1 billion. As HP explains, the company is primarily interested in Humane’s human resources, operating system, and intellectual property.
Among the key components being taken over by HP is the CosmosOS platform that powers the badge. Rumors surfaced last year that Humane believes CosmosOS could make its way into smartphones, cars, smart speakers, and TVs as more and more devices in our daily lives embrace AI.
The Humane team, including founders Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno, will join HP as a new division tasked with integrating artificial intelligence into the company’s PCs, printers, and connected conference rooms, HP reports. Humane’s software innovations are therefore likely to end up in HP products in some form. The deal is expected to close by the end of the month.
AI Pin to stop working
HP has no plans to keep the AI Pin alive, Humane says on its website. The startup says it has begun "the process of winding down the AI Pin" with immediate effect. The badge is being removed from sale. All smart badges sold will stop working as of February 28, 2025.There will be no AI to respond to users. Specifically, “Ai Pin devices will no longer connect to Humane’s servers,” rendering the gadget unusable.
In short, no features requiring cloud connectivity such as “voice interactions or AI responses” will be accessible after the deadline. The company assures that “all customer data […] will be permanently deleted from Humane’s servers.”
Restitution and recycling
The startup has not planned to compensate all buyers. Only individuals who purchased the AI Pin within 90 days, or after November 15, 2024, are eligible for a full refund. Other users spent nearly $500 to end up with a useless accessory… Humane encourages buyers to recycle the AI Pin through an “e-waste recycling program”.
Source: Bloomberg
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