About 10 months after its launch, the Humane AI Pin, often criticized as a poorly designed product, is now basically a $700 piece of e-waste. That’s because the company sold its software to HP and informed its handful of users that they’re out of luck.
By the end of this month, every AI Pin will stop working. Well, almost. As Engadget noted, users can still check the battery level, but that’s about it. Essentially, after February 28, 2025, all the fun features requiring the internet—like voice commands and AI chats—are done. The company even suggested users recycle their pins properly.
Let’s Remember the Failures of Tech Together
Humane AI Pin joins a list of failed tech products like Juicero and Magic Leap. These are the ones we can’t forget.
If you’re not aware, the AI Pin was meant to be a fancy “AI assistant,” but it barely worked and posed safety risks. It mainly ignited outrage among venture capitalists on Twitter whenever reviews came in.
Honestly, there’s not much more to say about the Humane AI Pin. Most tech journalists are occupied with other big stories, like the scandals involving Elon Musk. They aren’t focused on the Humane fiasco, which is unfortunate.
The hype around the company was massive, yet it burned through about $240 million in funding and produced something that flopped within a year. Fortunately, the number of devices sold was low—around 10,000—which means fewer users are left to deal with the e-waste problem.
The Humane AI Pin adds to the long list of expensive IoT devices that quickly turned into e-waste after companies stopped supporting them or went bust.
On recycling: I’ve visited e-waste recycling centers, and small gadgets like this can be tricky to recycle due to their tough-to-remove batteries. An iFixit teardown called the Humane Pin one of the worst devices ever, criticizing the difficulty of battery access. It’s frustrating that a device meant for convenience has such a hard-to-reach part.
In conclusion, we won’t forget the Humane AI Pin fiasco anytime soon. Well done, everyone.
