The Humane AI Pin worked better than I expected — until it didn’t

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Look, I’m a Humane AI Pin doubter as much as the next person. And I still think the wearable, AI-powered assistant suffers from a case of this-thing-could-have-been-an-app. But I finally got to spend a little face-to-face time with the pin this morning, and you know what? It’s a darn cool gadget. It’s just buried under a layer of marketing so thick that it’s hard to appreciate what it actually could be if Humane wasn’t so self-serious.

If you spend time on Tech Threads or the like, you probably already know what the pin does: you clip it to your shirt, talk to it, and it uses generative AI to answer. It’s a standalone device with its own SIM card, and there’s no screen — just vibes. That, and a little laser that projects menus and text onto your palm so you can interact with mortal trifles like Wi-Fi settings and media playback controls.

The idea, reiterated as I watched a couple of Humane employees run through various demos, was that it’s meant to help keep you connected while unplugging a little bit — less staring at screens and more living in the moment. AI helps fetch relevant bits from your calendar and email, and answers your questions when you’re curious about the world around you.