A deluge of gentle chirps emanated from small, blinking gadgets affixed to the employees’ attire at a startup named Humane, housed within a former horse stable in the San Francisco neighborhood of SoMa.
The company’s flagship product, the Ai Pin, was on the brink of its public debut after five decades of development, $240 million in funding, 25 patents, unwavering enthusiasm, and partnerships with major tech giants like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Salesforce.
Their mission? To revolutionize the world’s reliance on smartphones. Their solution? advanced technology
The co-founders of Humane, Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno, envision a future with reduced dependence on the screens that have become ubiquitous due to their previous work at Apple.
According to Mr. Chaudhri, artificial intelligence “can create an experience that essentially allows the computer to take a back seat.”
The Ai Pin is marketed as the world’s first artificially intelligent device. It can be operated by voice commands, touch gestures, or by simply raising one’s hand to display an LED interface. The virtual assistant embedded in the device can instantly send messages, play music, capture images, make calls, or translate conversations in real-time. It can even assist with tasks like dishwashing and manage incoming emails with a simple command “Catch me up.”
Customers are intended to be deterred from being glued to their screens by this innovative system.
The technology surpasses the capabilities of Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant in its advancement. It smoothly transitions between topics without needing explicit context, unlike other devices that require users to repeat entire phrases to correct errors. Additionally, it features a design reminiscent of Star Trek insignias.
The Ai Pin enables users to make calls and access a log of all their received conversations.
Tech leaders see this as a groundbreaking development, while to outsiders, it may seem like a tale from science fiction.
There is a sense of anticipation at Humane as they gear up for the upcoming launch. The tech industry is littered with failed portable devices, but Humane is set to start shipping its pins soon. They project sales of approximately 100,000 pins in the first year, priced at \(699 with a \)24 monthly subscription fee. (For reference, Apple sold 381,000 iPods in the year following the launch of its 2001 model.)
Users will need to adapt to Cosmos, a new operating system, and be open to acquiring new phone numbers from the startup for the product to succeed. Some features like object recognition and video capabilities will not be available immediately. The device may occasionally exhibit a glitch, as seen in some of the company’s demonstrations to The New York Times.
Sam Altman from OpenAI has placed multiple bets on portable AI technology.
In an interview, OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman expressed his belief in the significant role AI will play in computing. He has invested in Rewind AI, another AI company, and Humane, which aims to develop a necklace capable of capturing public speech and images. He has also discussed collaborating with Apple’s former design chief, Jony Ive, on an AI device with similar objectives to Humane.
Although Humane holds the distinction of being the first AI-focused device in the market, Mr. Altman cautioned that this alone does not guarantee success. He emphasized that customers will ultimately decide its fate, stating, “Perhaps it’s a bridge too far, or perhaps people will think, ‘This is far better than my phone.’” He added, “Many technologies that seemed like sure bets end up on clearance shelves at Best Buy.”
Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno first crossed paths while working at Apple.
Mr. Chaudhri, aged 50, and Ms. Bongiorno, aged 40, possess contrasting personalities. He exudes a calm demeanor and speaks with measured words, akin to a yogi, while sporting a shaved head. She radiates enthusiasm like a team leader, her long white hair cascading over one shoulder. Both of them adhere to a Jobsian wardrobe of dark attire.
Their collaboration began at Apple in 2008, where Mr. Chaudhri shaped the gestures and interactions that define iPhones, while Ms. Bongiorno oversaw the iPhone and iPad software programs. Their partnership continued until they departed from Apple in late 2016.
Their journey to Humane was guided by Brother Spirit, a Buddhist priest, who introduced them to concepts for two AI products—a women’s health system and the Ai Pin. The encounter with Brother Spirit, facilitated through their acupuncturist, led to a meeting with Salesforce’s CEO, Marc Benioff.
In 2018, at Mr. Benioff’s residence overlooking the Pacific, they presented both concepts while seated beneath palm trees on a cliff above the sea. As sea creatures frolicked below, Mr. Benioff pointed to the Ai Pin and remarked, “This one is significant.”
He added, “It’s poised to become a major business.”
Humane’s ambition is to recreate the functionality of the iPhone without its addictive features, such as endless scrolling on social media feeds or swiping through endless TikTok videos. Through clandestine tech experiments, they developed a virtual assistant akin to Siri or Alexa, leveraging specialized language models partly based on OpenAI’s technologies.
The most futuristic element of the device, a light that projects a text menu onto the hand, was initially housed in a large matchbox-sized enclosure. It took three years to miniaturize it to the size of a golf shirt.
Humane fostered a corporate culture inspired by Apple, including a penchant for secrecy. By revealing notable investors like Mr. Altman and making bold yet cryptic statements about forging “the next frontier between humans and computing,” the startup generated intrigue during its R&D phase. Humane also mirrored Apple’s attention to design details, from the chamfered edges of its devices to the eco-friendly white packaging, as well as the Japanese-style bathrooms in the company’s minimalist office.
Despite drawing inspiration from Apple, Humane diverged in certain aspects from the tech giant’s strict corporate culture. The company encouraged collaboration, idea-sharing, and open communication among its employees.
José Benitez Cong, a longtime Apple veteran who thought he had retired, joined Humane in part seeking redemption. Expressing his disillusionment with the societal impact of smartphones, he recounted how his one-year-old nephew could mimic swiping gestures—a behavior he found disconcerting. Mr. Benitez Cong remarked, “This might be something that could help me reconcile with my past work on the iPhone.”
Attendees at Humane were captivated by a mysterious whoosh sound during a product demonstration, with two hundred employees gathered around a long, illuminated table. They were exploring the Ai Pin’s visual and auditory cues just before its launch. Given that many features of the device rely on verbal and audio prompts, the “personic” speaker (a blend of “personal” and “sonic”) plays a crucial role.
Mr. Chaudhri praised the confidence exuded by a particular chirp, while Ms. Bongiorno appreciated the subtle tone of the light’s hum. She noted, “It feels like you’re truly holding the light.”
However, not all feedback was positive, especially regarding the sound accompanying text messaging. Some attendees likened it to an ominous premonition, while others mistook it for a Halloween prank.
Ms. Bongiorno aspired for the text-sending sound to evoke the same satisfaction as the iconic “thunk” sound associated with discarding items on older Apple interfaces.
The Ai Pin arrives amidst heightened excitement and skepticism surrounding AI technology. Regulators are scrutinizing AI applications, while industry experts warn of its ethical implications.
Despite these challenges, investors are eagerly supporting AI startups. Humane was valued at $850 million by its backers even before the product launch.
While Humane operated in secrecy for most of its development, the company has emphasized trust and transparency. The Ai Pin features a “trust light” that blinks when the device is recording, and users must tap the pin to activate it. Humane asserts that consumer data was not utilized for training its AI models or sold to external entities.
In the months leading up to the launch, Mr. Chaudhri showcased the light display of the Ai Pin during a TED Talk in April. Despite some skepticism about the authenticity of the demonstration, the renowned model Naomi Campbell sported the Ai Pin on a white Coperni suit at Paris Fashion Week in September, reminiscent of the fashion-forward unveiling of the Apple Watch. The discreet placement of the pin made it a subtle yet intriguing accessory.
Supporters of Humane counter doubts about its potential by drawing parallels to the initial Apple product. While the first Apple device was limited to playing music, it laid the foundation for smartphones. Similarly, Humane envisions an ecosystem of businesses developing functionalities for its operating system, akin to Apple’s App Store for AI applications.
A demonstration at Humane’s office showcased a user picking up a chocolate chip cookie and querying, “How much sugar is in this?” The device swiftly responded, illustrating a forthcoming feature. However, it faltered when asked about the sugar content of an oatmeal-raisin cookie.
Mr. Chaudhri dismissed the glitch casually, admitting, “I struggle to differentiate between an oatmeal raisin and a chocolate chip cookie, to be honest.”
Humane plans to introduce feature recognition technology in future iterations of the device.
Humane’s ambition to redefine the smartphone landscape is bold, innovative, and perhaps audacious—an embodiment of Silicon Valley’s penchant for groundbreaking ideas. Critics, however, lament that the tech industry has veered towards trivial innovations like photo filters and automated pizza delivery trucks.
Interestingly, the founders of Humane, despite their efforts to reduce screen time, find themselves unable to detach from their Ai Wires, even after prolonged use. When asked if we are using our cellphones any less now, Mr. Chaudhri pondered, “We’re using them differently.”
