There’s bad news for anyone who bought (and chose not to return) a Humane AI Pin, as every single unit will soon stop functioning. However, any fans of HP may benefit from the news, as the company has acquired the expertise behind the flawed product.
Make the Most of Your AI Pin While You Can
If you bought a Humane AI Pin, then prepare for it to stop working (in the main) on February 28. While the offline features of the devices will still function, the pins will “no longer connect to Humane’s servers.” Which means that features such as calling, messaging, AI queries/responses, and cloud access will all cease to work.
Anyone who purchased their Humane AI Pin within the last 90 days can apply for a refund. However, according toHumane’s FAQ about the development, applications for refunds “must be submitted by February 27th, 2025.” Anyone who bought their AI Pin more than 90 days ago is stuck with it, and cannot apply for a refund.
This is all due to HP acquiring Humane, with, according toa press release, the company having paid $116 million for the “AI-powered platform Cosmos, highly skilled technical talent, and intellectual property with more than 300 patents and patent applications.”
Humane was seen as an exciting startup, and certainly the founders believed in their ability to change the world. The AI Pin was famously hyped up while it was in development, before being massacred in a series of scathing reviews. Marques Brownlee actually called it “the worst product I’ve ever reviewed.”
While Humane did sell thousands of units of the device it thought could replace your smartphone,The Vergereported that, at one point, returns were outpacing sales. So, an acquisition started seeming somewhat inevitable.
HP Has Acquired Humane’s AI Knowledge
Humane is reported to have been looking for a buyer for a while, withBloombergclaiming that the startup valued itself at up to $1 billion. In the end, it was acquired for a fraction of that price, with HP bagging platforms, patents, and staff members for just $116 million.
While this is clearly bad news for AI Pin owners, or anyone who foresaw a rosy future for Humane, HP and its customers may benefit. The Humane team will form a new division at HP focused on innovating in the AI space, and “building an intelligent ecosystem across HP’s products and services for the future of work.”
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