If you're one of the people who ponied up for an AI Pin Pro, you're going to want to stop using the charging case that came with the smart wearable. Humane, the company behind the product, sent out emails today (June 5) to AI Pin owners warning that they should “immediately” stop using that case to charge the device.
The Verge received a copy of that email, which warns that battery cells in the AI Pin Pro charging case “may pose a fire safety risk.”
In the email, Humane says that the battery cells came from a third-party vendor that Humane has “disqualified.” The company also stressed that the AI Pin itself, the battery booster and the charging pad are not at risk — the vendor in question only supplied parts to the charging case.
To make up for the inconvenience, the company is offering two free months of its subscription service, which is required for most of the Pin’s functionality. Humane did not say if the company will provide replacement charging cases.
At time of this article's publication, that email posted at The Verge is the only place that Humane appears to be acknowledging the issue. Neither the Humane website nor its X account have posted any updates. Even the Humane Discord server has no official mention of the issue. That said, plenty of AI Pin owners are discussing the email and wondering if they should send the case back.
It’s a continuation of Humane’s no good, very bad year. The AI Pin launched to roundly negative reviews in early April. Very few publications had positive things to say about the device.
Last month, it came out that the Humane is looking for a buyer, seeking a valuation between $750 million and $1 billion. Managing Editor of computing Jason England has written that he believes companies like Humane and Rabbit are built to be bought: "When I look at these companies, I can't help but feel there's an ulterior motive. Namely that the devices are more of a proof of concept that people can buy — the physical manifestation of a pitch deck for acquisition by the likes of Apple or Google."
Only a few weeks later, Humane has not yet been snapped up by a larger company. Too bad since with OpenAI’s release of GPT-4o has probably killed off both Humane and Rabbit, which makes an AI gadget of its own, the Rabbit R1.
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