Humane in sale talks after tepid reception for ‘AI pin’

Humane, the company behind the wearable AI ‘pin’ device, is in sale talks with HP and a number of telecoms companies – that’s according to a report by CNBC citing ‘a source familiar with the matter”.

It comes after the device, developed by former Apple designers, failed to wow consumers after its launch.

The AI Pin is intended to be worn on a shirt or jacket lapel and aims to replace smartphones by allowing users to make calls, send texts, and perform search queries via voice control.

Priced at $699 with a $24 monthly data subscription through T-Mobile, the device has not had the positive breakthrough that its designers had hoped for, with consumer market demand described as “tepid”.

Humane has now teamed up with investment bank Tidal Partners, which is advising of potential deals.

The company, which previously raised over $200 million of capital, was backed by high-profile tech entrepreneurs and investors including OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Salesforce chief executive Marc Benioff, whilst Microsoft and LG also backed the company.