Humane ai pin
Created in Adobe Firefly by Sage w/ Design.
There's a plethora of negative feedback surrounding the Humane AI Pin announced yesterday, but it's worth noting the direction that AI devices like this are heading towards.
Companies are putting effort into finding a non-smartphone device for AI assisted interactions that people find convenient and less distracting than smartphones. Extended Reality (XR) devices, smartwatches and now a pin snapped to your shirt suggest that wearables will play a major role in the next generation of staying connected.
The strongest argument in favor of this device is that many people are tired of screens. Kendrick Lamar's latest anti-smartphone, pgLang Light Phone 2, which sold out within a day is evidence of that. And many Millennials and Zoomers are ditching smartphones and switching to team flip in an effort to reduce screen time.
I do believe the Humane Pin sets an interesting precedent for this demographic in that regard. Where it may struggle is:
• Relying on peoples' behavior to change.
• Less privacy with calls and AI interactions.
• Capturing inaccurate images.
• Projecting a monochrome display on your hand under challenging conditions.
It's an enormous hurdle for a company to change user behavior and this resembles something out of Star Trek. Putting your finger to your chest every time you want to interact with it is much different than using a phone. So is speaking and listening to a device on your chest, taking pictures from your chest and looking down to check the light indicator to ensure it's streaming.
Taking speaker calls in public is typically seen as rude, so it's reasonable to assume that users will want to carry earbuds with them along with this device. At least for privacy's sake.
The Pin isn't meant to be used as an accessory to a smartphone, it's a replacement, so you won’t know exactly how your photo turns out until you upload it to your computer later.
I'm also curious how readable the projection is on a bright day against a textured palm. Or how steady it projects to your hand on a windy day or while walking.
Whether it sells or not isn't as significant as acknowledging that this type of technology is a unique iteration towards how we may interact with future devices. This seems kin to the early days of VR headsets. Something interesting is there, but it's likely that this model will stay in the early adopter circle. Maybe the "next smartphone" will be a pin, I see low-profile smartglasses as more promising. Whether smartglasses include a digital overlay or not, calls can be taken privately, photos can be taken with accuracy and information that concerns what exactly you are looking at can be given to you.
Humane is worth paying attention to particularly if they continue developing new products. So is the secret AI device that Jony Ive and Sam Altman are discussing together.
Whether you like the pin or not, technology developing towards being less of a distraction is a step in a good direction.
