Humane is shutting down and will stop selling its AI Pin — less than a year after it released the much-hyped product.
On Tuesday, Humane announced that it would be selling most of its company to HP for $116 million. The company will also discontinue its AI pin, the camera-equipped wearable device which was once marketed as a tech product that would replace smartphones.
In a post on its website, Humane confirms that all of its AI Pins will stop working in just 10 days after its announcement. It has also ceased selling the device effective immediately.
All AI Pins will stop connecting to Humane’s servers on February 28 and all customer data will be permanently deleted. Humane is encouraging users to download any photos, videos, and notes stored on their Pins before they are permanently deleted at that shutdown time.
After the shutdown, Humane says the device’s offline features like “battery level” will still work, but “any function that requires cloud connectivity like voice interactions, AI responses, and Center access” will not. This move will leave AI Pin owners with an essentially useless gadget.
“We are writing to inform you that, effective immediately, we are winding down the consumer Ai Pin as our business priorities have shifted,” Humane says in the post.
“Your engagement has meant the world to us, and we deeply appreciate the role you’ve played in our innovation journey.”
Humane will only offer refunds on AI Pins that are “within the 90-day return window from their original shipment date,” according to an FAQ about the shutdown. Refunds “must be submitted by February 27, 2025.” Users who have paid for a Humane subscription past February 28 will get a “prorated refund.”
Humane was founded by Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno, the husband-and-wife team who helped design the original iPhone. The company raised Humane $240 million from investors including Open AI’s CEO Sam Altman and the company touted its first product as a groundbreaking smartphone killer.
However, when Humane launched its AI Pin in April 2024, the product was a commercial and critical failure. Reviewers blasted the AI Pin’s shortcomings, including its poor camera — agreeing that the $700 device just didn’t work and was barely able to complete its basic functions.
YouTuber Marques Brownlee infamously titled his review of the AI pin as “the worst product I’ve ever reviewed.”
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