The Humane AI Pin saga is finally at an end with news that HP will be purchasing parts of the AI device maker for $116 million, far less than was perhaps desired by the ex-Apple managers who started the the company.
According to a Bloomberg report, the deal includes a majority of Humane’s employees, the AI Pin platform and intellectual property — including over 300 patents. However, the purchase will not include the Ai Pin bussiness, which will be shutdown.
Apparently, the founders Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno will create a new AI division at HP focused on adding artificial intelligence to HPs PCs, printers and other devices. This new division will include many members of the current Humane team.
“There will be a time and place for pure AI devices,” Tuan Tran, HP’s head of AI initiatives told Bloomberg. “But there is going to be AI in all our devices — that’s how we can help our business customers be more productive.”
And the Ai Pin?
Dead.
Starting on February 28, the Pin will “no longer connect to Humane’s servers.” Meaning that the AI device will no longer make calls, send messages or AI queries. In a support document, Humane encourages owners to download pictures, videos and notes before that date.
According to an FAQ about the shutdown, refunds will only be offered to those who purchased the AI Pin within the original 90-day return window “from their original shipment date.” Subscriptions will also get a prorated refund.
Anyone waiting for a replacement for the exploding charging case will get a refund for “the portion of your original purchase price.”
How did it end here?
The Ai Pin was introduced in November of 2023 by Humane, founded in 2018, and pitched as a “new type of standalone device with a software platform that harnesses the power of AI to enable innovative personal computing experience” aimed at moving people away from their smartphones, as most AI devices seem to be marketed.
The delayed device was previewed at Mobile World Congress in 2024 and Tom’s Guide got a hands-on look at the device, which had us cautiously excited. Though we questioned whether or it was solving a problem no one had, a portentous feeling.
The $700 Ai Pin officially launched in April to nearly universal poor reviews. The nicest review we found, which was optimistic, still concluded, “the hardware and AI just aren’t able to do a lot of essential phone things either as reliably, faster, better, or even at all.”
It did not get better from there.
By May, the founders were looking to sell with a valuation between $750 million and $1 billion. A surprising number for a company that never got a valuation during its funding rounds and was torn apart by reviews. At the time, Tom’s Guide Managing Editor of Computing Jason England opined that Humane and competitor Rabbit were built to be snapped up by a larger fish like Apple.
HP was rumored to be interested in buying the company then, though it’s unclear when its interest was solidified to the current actual buyout.
“But when I look at these companies, I can’t help but feel there’s an ulterior motive. Namely that the devices are more of a proof of concept that people can buy — the physical manifestation of a pitch deck for acquisition by the likes of Apple or Google,” England wrote.
From dumpster fire to actual fire risk
In June, it was revealed that the charging case for the device featured faulty battery cells that could potentially burst into flames.
The dumpster fire raged on when an August report indicated that over $1 million in product had been returned to Humane by disappointed customers. It was also reported that Humane had only sold 10,000 Ai Pins and accessories by August, a fraction of the expected 100,000 units it expected to sell.
By December, Humane was walking back its support of the Ai Pin and instead focusing on its AI platform dubbed CosmOS. That AI operating system was now being pitched as available for a number of devices including phones, smart speakers and cars and meant to work via cloud-based and on-device models. Based on what Tran told Bloomberg, this seems to be what HP really wants for its own products.
