The humane Ai pin launches its campaign to replace phones

Humane Inc., the startup founded by former Apple Inc. design and engineering team Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno, has officially launched its long-awaited Ai Pin — making a splashy foray into the nascent field of artificial intelligence hardware.

The device can magnetically clip onto clothing and will cost $699 with a $24-a-month subscription — which will come with unlimited data and phone calls. The company also said it would partner with T-Mobile for phone service and Microsoft Corp. and OpenAI for AI technology. The device will be available to order starting November 16.

“For the technology you are getting, we set a high bar for ourselves in terms of pricing it at a level we think is approachable and accessible,” Bongiorno, Humane’s chief executive officer, said in an interview on Bloomberg TV Thursday. “There will always be improvements over time in terms of driving down cost.”

Tech and AI enthusiasts have watched Humane closely after Chaudhri and Bongiorno, husband-and-wife co-founders, started the company in 2018. It has kept most of its work under wraps, with some notable exceptions. In April, Chaudhri gave a demo of the device at a TED Talk. In September, the pin adorned models including Naomi Campbell at Paris Fashion Week. And on Wednesday, tech website the Verge leaked many of the device specifications, including the price.

The Humane Ai Pin is meant to eventually be a smartphone replacement. The subscription plan comes with its own phone number, and it doesn’t need to be paired with a phone. The device is screenless, and people will interact with it via voice, touchpad, gesture or by holding up objects. It also features a laser projector that can emit text onto the user’s hand.

Chaudhri spent 20 years at Apple, and led the design of the iPhone’s home screen. Bongiorno was a software development leader for products including the iPhone, iPad and later the Mac, and was part of the founding iPad team. Chaudhri and Bongiorno also recruited other former Apple employees to the team, including the chief technology officer, Patrick Gates, who was previously a senior director of engineering at the Cupertino, California, company.

In a statement, Chaudhri and Bongiorno said, the “Ai Pin is the embodiment of our vision to integrate AI into the fabric of daily life, enhancing our capabilities without overshadowing our humanity.”

Humane has raised $230 million to date. Its most recent funding round was a $100 million Series C in March. The company’s high-profile backers include Microsoft, OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman and Tiger Global Management.

Humane isn’t the only company pursuing AI hardware. OpenAI has had talks with LoveFrom, the design firm founded by former Apple executive Jony Ive, about a separate device, according to reports in the Financial Times and the Information.

When asked about how that could impact Humane, Bongiorno said in the TV interview, “I think it is incredible that there is excitement around this space.”

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