Reality Check
What Happened to the Humane AI Pin?
Quick answer
Humane stopped selling the AI Pin on February 18, 2025, when HP agreed to buy most of the company for $116 million but not the device itself. At noon Pacific time on February 28, 2025, every Pin stopped connecting to Humane's servers, so calls, messages and AI answers ended. Only offline functions such as battery level remained.
On this page
- What happened to the Humane AI Pin?
- What was the Humane AI Pin supposed to do?
- How many Humane AI Pins were sold?
- What happened to people who already owned a Pin?
- Is there a safety notice for the Pin's charging case?
- What did HP get, and what became of Humane's team?
- What does the AI Pin teach about buying a first-generation gadget?
- FAQ
- Sources
The Humane AI Pin was a real gadget that people paid real money for. It was a small square worn on your clothes, sold as a way to use AI without a phone. Then the company sold itself and the device lost the one thing it needed to work: Humane's servers.
This is a Reality Check of a different kind. There is no fake video to expose, because the Pin existed and shipped. The question is what happened to it, and what it means for anyone who buys a first-generation gadget. Every fact comes from HP's press release, the CPSC, the press coverage of the time or the quoted Humane FAQ, listed with dates at the end.
What happened to the Humane AI Pin?
Humane announced on February 18, 2025 that it was selling most of its business to HP. HP's press release says it signed a definitive agreement to acquire Humane's AI platform, called Cosmos, its technical staff and its intellectual property, which includes more than 300 patents and patent applications. TechCrunch reported the price as $116 million, and HP's release gives the same figure.
The device was not part of the deal. HP's release does not mention the AI Pin at all. TechCrunch reported that the same day Humane was "immediately discontinuing sales" of the Pin, and that existing units would stop working at 12 p.m. PST on February 28, 2025. After that time, TechCrunch wrote, the devices "won't be capable of calling, messaging, AI queries/responses, or cloud access."
In a note to customers, Humane said it was "winding down the Ai pin as we are moving onto new endeavors," according to SlashGear.
What was the Humane AI Pin supposed to do?
It was a clip-on device for your lapel that used a laser projector to show information on your hand and a voice assistant to answer questions. Android Authority described it as a device meant to replace your smartphone screen with an AI-powered helper. It launched in April 2024 at $699, plus a $24 monthly subscription, according to Android Authority.
Reviews arrived within days, and they were harsh. The Verge's David Pierce called the Pin "thoroughly unfinished" and said he could not recommend spending $699 plus the monthly fee. CNET's Scott Stein called it "too frustrating for everyday use" and said the laser display was "nearly useless outdoors in normal sunlight." Several outlets also reported that it got uncomfortably warm.
Humane said at the time that updates would fix some of these gaps, according to Android Authority. But a device you wear all day has to work in the first week, and the reviewers said this one did not.
How many Humane AI Pins were sold?
Not many. In August 2024, The Verge published internal sales documents, and Engadget summarized them: about 10,000 units sold, about 3,000 returned and about 7,000 still with customers. Humane had set a goal of 100,000 in the first year. More than 1,000 pre-orders were canceled after the reviews came out. Humane's spokesperson said the financial data contained "inaccuracies" but gave no specifics, so treat those figures as reported, not confirmed by the company.
The price then fell. TechCrunch reported that Humane cut $200 in October 2024, bringing the Pin to $499. Humane had raised more than $230 million, according to TechCrunch, and Bloomberg had reported in May 2024 that it was looking for a buyer at $750 million to $1 billion. HP paid $116 million, a fraction of that range.
What happened to people who already owned a Pin?
Most of them were left with a device that could do very little. Humane's FAQ, as quoted by Daring Fireball, said that on February 28, 2025 "Ai Pin devices will no longer connect to Humane's servers," and that customer data would be "permanently deleted from Humane's servers." The company advised owners to move photos and other data off the device beforehand.
| Function | Before | After noon PT, Feb. 28, 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Calls and messages | Worked over the Pin's mobile plan | Stopped |
| AI questions and answers | Answered through Humane's cloud | Stopped |
| Cloud storage of photos and data | Kept on Humane's servers | Deleted from Humane's servers |
| Battery level | Worked | Still works offline |
| Customer support | Humane's support team | Team planned to close on Feb. 28 |
What changed for an AI Pin owner on February 28, 2025. Sources: TechCrunch and the Humane FAQ as quoted by Daring Fireball (both Feb. 2025).
Refunds were narrow. Only Pins inside the 90-day return window qualified, which meant devices shipped on or after November 15, 2024, and requests had to be in by February 27, 2025. SlashGear reported that there was no trade-in or buy-back, and that subscriptions paid in advance past February 28 were refunded proportionally. For everyone else the loss was the price of the device. By our own arithmetic, someone who bought at launch and paid the monthly fee until the end spent about $940 before tax: $699 plus roughly ten payments of $24.
Humane's own advice for the hardware was to "recycle your Ai Pin through an e-waste recycling program," per SlashGear.
Is there a safety notice for the Pin's charging case?
Yes. On October 31, 2024 the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a recall of about 10,500 Charge Case accessories for the AI Pin because the lithium battery inside "can overheat, posing a fire hazard." The case was sold on Humane's site from November 2023 through May 2024, either with the Pin or separately for about $150. The CPSC page says one report of a case overheating and melting while charging had been received, with no injuries or property damage.
The page now reads "Humane Inc. is no longer in business" and "The remedy is no longer available." It tells owners to stop using the case and to destroy and discard it. If you still own one, follow that notice and ask your local waste service how to dispose of a lithium battery safely.
What did HP get, and what became of Humane's team?
HP got the software, the patents and most of the people. Humane's co-founders, Bethany Bongiorno and Imran Chaudhri, joined HP, and the engineers and product staff formed a new group called HP IQ, which HP describes as an AI innovation lab. HP's Tuan Tran said in the release that Cosmos would help build an intelligent ecosystem across HP devices, from AI PCs to smart printers and connected conference rooms.
In March 2026, The Register reported that HP IQ is now an application for business laptops: a local AI model you can chat with, a meeting summarizer and a file-sharing tool for nearby coworkers. Early access began on selected 2026 EliteBook and ProBook "AI PCs." The article does not mention Humane or Cosmos, so we cannot say whether Humane's software is inside it. What the sources do show is that the team's work moved from a wearable to office computers.
What does the AI Pin teach about buying a first-generation gadget?
That a gadget can be real, honestly sold and still not last. The Pin was not a fake, so our checks for a fake gadget video would not have caught it. Four questions would have, and they apply to almost any new device:
- Does it work without the company's servers? The Pin kept only offline functions like battery level once the servers went off. A device that does its main job in the cloud is rented, not owned.
- What is the monthly fee for, and what happens to prepaid time? The Pin needed a $24 plan to be more than a paperweight. Here prepaid time was refunded proportionally, but check before you pay a year up front.
- How long is the return window? It was 90 days, counted from shipping. Buying inside that window was the only thing that got money back.
- What did independent reviewers find in the first week? They said "unfinished" within days of shipping. Waiting a few weeks for reviews and updates costs little.
The wish behind the Pin has not gone away. If you want a wearable that sees and answers, smart glasses are the form factor on sale today, and our guide to what smart glasses do and cost lists the options with official prices. Phones are changing too: see which tri-fold phones are on sale, and for glasses that act as a screen, AR glasses as a portable monitor. More checks of this kind are in Reality Check.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Humane AI Pin still working?
Not as a connected device. Humane's FAQ said that on February 28, 2025 at 12 p.m. PST the Pins would no longer connect to Humane's servers. Calls, messages, AI queries and cloud access ended; basic offline functions such as battery level remained.
Did HP buy the Humane AI Pin?
HP bought Humane's AI platform (Cosmos), its technical team and more than 300 patents and patent applications for $116 million, according to HP and TechCrunch. The AI Pin device business was not part of the deal, and HP's release does not mention the Pin.
Can I still get a refund for my AI Pin?
No. Refunds were limited to Pins shipped on or after November 15, 2024, and requests had to be submitted by February 27, 2025. The CPSC page for the Pin's charging case now says Humane Inc. is no longer in business.
How much did the Humane AI Pin cost?
It launched in April 2024 at $699 plus a $24 monthly subscription, according to Android Authority. TechCrunch reported that Humane cut $200 from the price in October 2024, to $499.
How many Humane AI Pins were sold?
Internal documents reported by The Verge in August 2024 showed about 10,000 sold and about 3,000 returned, against a first-year goal of 100,000. Humane said the data contained "inaccuracies" without giving specifics.
What should I do with my AI Pin?
Humane's FAQ advised recycling it through an e-waste recycling program. If you own the Charge Case, the CPSC says to stop using it and to destroy and discard it.
Is HP IQ the same thing as the AI Pin?
No. HP IQ was the name HP gave to the group formed from Humane's engineers, and in March 2026 The Register described a product called HP IQ for business laptops. The report does not say whether it uses Humane's software.
Was the Humane AI Pin a scam or a fake?
The sources we read do not describe it as a fake. It was a real device that shipped in April 2024, received poor reviews and was shut down less than a year later. What the numbers show is weak sales and a sale of the company, not a gadget that never existed.
Sources
- HP newsroom: HP Accelerates AI Software Investments to Transform the Future of Work (press release, Palo Alto, Feb. 18, 2025), read Oct. 29, 2026
- TechCrunch, Maxwell Zeff: Humane's AI Pin is dead, as HP buys startup's assets for $116M (Feb. 18, 2025), read Oct. 29, 2026
- Daring Fireball, John Gruber: post quoting Humane's AI Pin Consumers FAQ (Feb. 19, 2025), read Oct. 29, 2026. Humane's own support pages did not load from our connection
- SlashGear, Nadeem Sarwar: Humane Is Killing Its Disastrous AI Pin: Here's Who Gets Their Money Back (Feb. 19, 2025), read Oct. 29, 2026
- Engadget, Lawrence Bonk: People are returning Humane AI Pins faster than the company can sell them (Aug. 7, 2024), read Oct. 29, 2026
- Android Authority: Humane AI Pin reviews roundup (Apr. 12, 2024), read Oct. 29, 2026
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission: Humane Recalls Charge Case Accessory for Ai Pin Due to Lithium Battery Fire Hazard (recall date Oct. 31, 2024), read Oct. 29, 2026
- The Register, Avram Piltch: HP IQ for business laptops (Mar. 25, 2026), read Oct. 29, 2026
Founder and editor, Novaverum
I write Novaverum to separate the technology you can really buy from the demos, concepts and viral fakes, starting from what the companies, regulators and engineers publish. Every article lists its sources at the end.
