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The Humane AI Pin Launches Its Campaign to Replace Phones

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Re: The Humane AI Pin Launches Its Campaign to Replace Phones

#91

When I first heard about the company I knew immediately it would be a Star Trek badge type device. > Google learned a similar lesson in 2018 after it launched Google Clips, a body-worn camera that used algorithms to automatically snap photos. Female users tended to end up with an abundance of cloud shots when they intended to record what was in front of them, because the device was not designed to account for bodies…

They have a video demonstrating the laser display (laser part is about 3 minutes in): https://vimeo.com/882968794

Is that real or CGI? I looked at it for a long time and I didn't find any smoking gun (perhaps too much shacking, it looks like fake shacking). I've seen too many videos of Captain Disillusion, in particular https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbgvSi35n6o

Re: The Humane AI Pin Launches Its Campaign to Replace Phones

#92
post #66
post #47

It's funny that the company was founded 6+ years ago and this product has been in development at least since that time, but all of a sudden it's all about AI? We really going to pretend all these features weren't shoveled in in the last 3 months by buying a ChatGPT API token? Recognizing the food you are holding and coming up with a calorie count was the only part of the demo I found genuinely cool, but I also know t…

(i'm an investor in the company, and invested over 3 years ago.) this product has always been about AI—what they launched is almost exactly what they pitched me. their expectation of where the world going ended up being prescient.

Why this was done as a separate piece of hardware rather than a phone app? Was it the projector that attracted you to the project?

Re: The Humane AI Pin Launches Its Campaign to Replace Phones

#93
$700 + $24/month for an uglier plastic name badge + police body camera. No thanks

Also:

To put on the Ai Pin involves placing a magnetic battery pack on the inside of a shirt or other piece of clothing, and letting a magnet on the Pin itself hold the system in place. It’s altogether about 55 grams, or 2 ounces, nearly the weight of a tennis ball. People with pacemakers should consult their doctors about potential magnetic interference, Chaudhri says.

It's pretty heavy and the backside of the clip is a magnetic battery pack.

Re: The Humane AI Pin Launches Its Campaign to Replace Phones

#94
post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They likely went with this form factor because it allows for the camera to look forward and use that context in its responses. A watch wouldn't easily be able to do this.

You could make a smartwatch with a camera facing up from the screen. The user could bring their palm to their chest (so watchface faces out) to activate it. Then the camera can see forward and the microphone is close to the user. And then you could do video calls on the same device too.

That sounds awkward?

Anyway, it's cold season now in Europe, and it's interesting how much less useful my Apple watch is when it's almost always covered with a sleeve.

Something that goes on top of your clothes makes sense.

Re: The Humane AI Pin Launches Its Campaign to Replace Phones

#95
post #61

Yay privacy out of the window... AI wants to see and hear everything with access the Internet. Otherwise its hell of an interesting concept! Reminds me of the Robot Assistant in "flubber"

(i'm an investor in the company.) this is probably the most privacy-forward hardware device on the market—you have to physically be making contact with the device for it to begin listening (at which point an LED is prominently visible) and it will stop listening as soon as you break contact.

Thanks for your reply.

However,

- he's not touching it during the phone call - it's not super clear in the demo when he's saying "your engagement comes through your voice, touch, gesture, or the lasering display"

How do you engage through (a) voice or (b) gesture then?

Re: The Humane AI Pin Launches Its Campaign to Replace Phones

#96
I said this in a different news thread on this topic but that one didn't reach front page.

They need to narrow down the scope of this product. It's a product with an unusual form factor. They should Make it perfect just for a few things. And don't try to kill the phone or any other device.

There is a beautiful use case for this. It's like an apple watch with a sim. Out working in the field, with things in hand, ask for whatever you need to ask. It can even do FaceTime showing what's in the field. And enable police patrol to approach a target and use remote intervention to neutralize a situation.

Re: The Humane AI Pin Launches Its Campaign to Replace Phones

#97
I’m working on a tool that would build assessments for educators in real time as they teach. I could see a device like this being helpful for dictation and content collection (if it plays nicely with others). Transitional, non-glasses AR. Not sold on the potential, but cool tech nonetheless.

Re: The Humane AI Pin Launches Its Campaign to Replace Phones

#98
post #85

Is an apple watch already solving this, already has my phone number on a cellular plan, can easily text and call, has Siri (not the best, but can be improved), could use a ChatGPT app, can leave my phone at home, etc?

I think they're playing with the form factor. Your watch is, in a way, more obtrusive to use. Their gadget can record the conversation, take photos, take dictation hands-off and is also closer to your head.

pocket watches existed at some point, glancing down on your wrist is way less annoying than having something attached to your shirt pocket all day.

Re: The Humane AI Pin Launches Its Campaign to Replace Phones

#99
I love the idea of some virtual daemon type AI assistant thingy that helps me with mundane day to day tasks via an intuitive natural language type interface. Sci-fi / cyberpunk authors have been writing about this stuff for decades and it's always seemed like super cool and useful tech to me.

That being said I positively LOATHE the idea of it being some cloud based subscription service, as inevitably, no matter how much the founders of these companies talk about privacy or security, it will become yet another corporate data harvester that spies on you and sells your personal information to the highest bidder, or provides a backdoor for governments or other non-state entities to surveil you. Money talks, and morals walk. Let's not forget Ring gives LEA footage from peoples door cameras just for asking nicely with no way for users to opt-out.

Personally, as much as I want something like this (Though the dorky badge format is a big miss for me) I will never, ever, EVER go for something like this unless I OWN the software and that software runs on hardware I OWN as well. I'm sure a lot of folks will get excited by this thing, but as it stands now it's just bog-standard run of the mill, every day dystopian nightmare fuel for me.

Re: The Humane AI Pin Launches Its Campaign to Replace Phones

#100
post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They likely went with this form factor because it allows for the camera to look forward and use that context in its responses. A watch wouldn't easily be able to do this.

You could make a smartwatch with a camera facing up from the screen. The user could bring their palm to their chest (so watchface faces out) to activate it. Then the camera can see forward and the microphone is close to the user. And then you could do video calls on the same device too.

This has the added benefit of having some recognizable sign that someone is using the camera... which despite proclamations that "the public" is ready to accept being on camera all the time, I'm not convinced is true when it's someone wearing an overt device pointed at you and possibly recording, but you're not quite sure, all the time.

I for one have no particular desire to be part of your "context" (nor the company's training data set) without knowing it.

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