Humane’s Ai Pin considers life beyond the smartphone

Nothing lasts forever. Nowhere is the truism more apt than in consumer tech. This is a land inhabited by the eternally restless — always on the make for the next big thing. The smartphone has, by all accounts, had a good run. Seventeen years after the iPhone made its public debut, the devices continue to reign. Over the last several years, however, the cracks have begun to show. The market plateaued, as sales slowed and ultimately contracted. Last year was punctuated by stories citing the worst demand in a decade, leaving an entire industry asking the same simple question: what’s next? If there was an easy answer, a lot more people would currently be a whole lot richer. Smartwatches have had a moment, though these devices are largely regarded as accessories, augmenting the smartphone experience. As for AR/VR, the best you can really currently say is that — after a glacial start — the jury is still very much out on products like the Meta Quest and Apple Vision Pro. When it began to tease its existence through short, mysterious videos in the summer of 2022, Humane promised a glimpse of the future. The company promised an approach every bit as human-centered as its name implied. It was, at the very least, well-funded, to the tune of $100 million+ (now $230 million), and featured an AI element. The company’s first product, the Humane Ai Pin, arrives this week. It suggests a world where being plugged in doesn’t require having one’s eyes glued to a screen in every waking moment. It’s largely — but not wholly — hands-free. A tap to the front touch panel wakes up the system. Then it listens — and learns.