Humane will disable AI pins after $116 million buyout, leaving early adopters high and dry

What you need to know

• Humane has discontinued the production of its AI wearable pin as it has shifted its business priorities.
• The company says that it will be deleting all consumer data on Feb. 28, after which the pin will no longer have any of its features as well.
• Users are urged to download any stored pictures, videos, and notes from the .Center before the above deadline.
• Humane will be selling most of its assets to HP for $116 million.

Humane announced in a post on Feb. 18 that it will officially be shutting down and moving on from the AI scene as its "business priorities have shifted." The company was looking for a buyer after seeing a massive dip in sales in May last year. Now it looks like HP went ahead and acquired them for $116 million.

Humane's AI pin was a unique device created by two ex-Apple designers in 2018. It had an AI voice assistant, camera, speaker, and laser projector all built into the device. Now, according to the company's FAQ page, these $700 pins will be bricked and will “no longer connect to Humane’s servers,” after Feb. 28, at noon PT.

Following that, “all customer data, including personally identifiable information will be permanently deleted from Humane’s servers.” The company added that it has stopped selling AI pins and canceled orders that have not been fulfilled. Humane will now be selling all of its assets including the pin's operating software CosmOS, 300 patents, and patent applications, to HP by the end of this month (via Arstechnica).

"Humane’s AI platform Cosmos, backed by an incredible group of engineers, will help us create an intelligent ecosystem across all HP devices from AI PCs to smart printers and connected conference rooms. This will unlock new levels of functionality for our customers and deliver on the promises of AI," said Tuan Tran, president of technology and innovation at HP.

Android Central's Andrew Myrick saw it coming quite early, predicting that "it could end up being a bigger flop than Windows Phone or LG's smartphone business." Why, he argued, would enough people spend that amount on an AI pin when you could get a better-looking gadget like a smartwatch that does everything this pin would?

Still, many early adopters didn't see this coming. Customers who bought the AI pin were left furious as the company stated that they wouldn't be getting a refund if their device wasn't within the 90-day return window. Humane's FAQ page stated that "all device shipments before November 15th, 2024, are not eligible for refunds. All refunds must be submitted by February 27th, 2025.”

In a Reddit thread, a user wrote that they felt duped considering the device will now effectively act as a paperweight. Some said that they liked the device and were waiting to get updates that would improve the overall performance of the pin.

"Cancelled my account last month. Being an early adopter means that you get to experience the latest tech, and sometimes you lose like this. No regrets," a user added.

Other early Humane adopters suggested that this pin should've been sold as a phone accessory, rather than an expensive standalone device.

Unfortunately for these Humane pin buyers, there's nothing left for them to do except back up any stored pictures, videos, and notes from .Center before the Feb. 28 deadline.