Now, future ? Freshly launched in the United States, Ai Pin is a small device that, by embracing AI, seems to want to open the doors to a new digital world. The one where, freed from their smartphone, the Human would be accompanied by a permanent, complete assistant, capable, thanks to artificial intelligence, of simplifying all daily tasks. What should we think of this unusual product launched by the start-up Humane, founded by two former Apple employees? 20 minutes make the point.
“Advancing Humanity”
“It will never work”! By discovering AI Pin, pessimistic or fatalistic gossips can bring out from the closet the old Renault slogan used to present its avant-garde cars, like the 4L or the Espace.
Others, more optimistic, may be enthusiastic about the prospect of a disruptive product, which would announce a world where humans would take back control of technology and take their heads out of their screens. In any case, this is what Imran and Bethany Chaudhri, two former Apple employees, and founders of the start-up Humane in 2018, at the origin of this funny object, would like.
They didn’t pull any punches last spring, announcing its upcoming launch, announcing “to develop the technology that will advance humanity, while rebalancing the role it plays in our lives.”
A wearable to wear constantly
Finally presented on November 9, currently for pre-order (deliveries in the United States will be made from the beginning of January 2024), AI Pin is, in fact, unlike anything we know. Measuring 47.5 mm high, 44.5 mm wide and 8.25 mm thick (for 34.2 grams), the one which takes the shape of what one could compare to a badge clips or magnetizes on a piece of clothing. It is intended to be worn constantly.
Without pairing with a smartphone (but directly to a 3G mobile telephone network to be connected to the cloud), the small tablet also Wifi and Bluetooth runs on battery and recharges in its storage box, like those that come with wireless headphones. AI Pin contains in addition to its electronics, a GPS chip, a microphone, a speaker, a 13 megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera (120°/4,208 x 3,120 pixels), but also a laser projector with 720p resolution. And AI via its connection to cloud (Open AI, the ChatGPT firm, has invested heavily in Humane).
Functions projected into the palm of your hand
With a single or double press on its surface, it is possible to trigger an action: telephone call; sending messages; taking photos (and soon videos); simultaneous translation during a conversation with a person of another language; but also recognition of foods (to learn their composition); of an object (to possibly know the price, or even buy it)… AI Pin also acts as a tracker of activity.
For certain uses, such as listening to music (the streaming platform Tidal is a partner of Humane), the small integrated projector can display a control panel in the user’s hand. By tilting the hand up the volume can be increased, lowered by tilting it down. And switching to the previous or next song can be done using a tilt of the hand to the left or right.
But above all, AI Pin serves as a voice command. First to ask, like Siri or Google, to make a phone call or send an SMS; or for a calendar reminder. But above all to put AI to work and get answers to all our questions. The idea is not only to combine artificial intelligence with voice, but also with sight using the badge’s camera. So we can ask AI Pin: “What brand is this car?” », “Tell me more about this monument”, “How much does this book cost online? »… by pointing the small camera at the object. The list is long. And the field seems to want to open up to new possibilities.
No more smartphone, but a computer
This wearable wants to free us from the use of our smartphone, but nevertheless offers its Humane platform. center. Available on computer, it offers, category by category, a summary table of the interactions recorded by the badge, but also allows you to personalize it (by synchronizing your contacts), to find the photos taken from your camera, the list of purchases made , music listened to. A kind of hub personalized.
Small reservation: for AI Pin to work independently of a smartphone, a subscription to a mobile telephone network is necessary. In the United States, T-Mobile is doing it, with a monthly subscription of 24 dollars (22 euros) so that the small badge can be requested without time limit.
Moderate enthusiasm
So, is AI Pin “ the next big thing » ? Difficult to say. Smartphone without a smartphone, with new ergonomics, using AI in an interesting way, the device arouses curiosity, that’s for sure. But its lack of screen risks deterring more than one person from making it their own. And the 699 dollars required to afford it (640 euros) can, unless you are a real geekinvite us to wait for a possible “V2”, more successful.
Still, we feel that Silicon Valley wants to reinvent itself. Some, like Google and its Google Glass, have already lost their teeth on innovative concepts that arrived too early (even if we know that Apple is currently working on the development of its own binoculars). Nevertheless: the Humane firm has the means to achieve its ambitions. And surrounded herself well. In three fundraising rounds, the start-up has raised some $230 million, notably from Microsoft, LG, Volvo and Open AI. For their part, the founders of Humane are not just anyone: Imran and Bethany Chaudhry worked on the development of the iPad and iOS for Apple, and are specialists in human-machine interfaces. And maybe even a little visionary…