He said that the first units are scheduled to "start leaving the factory at the end of March" in a walk-and-talk manner reminiscent of Sorkin. "Priority access" consumers will start receiving the unit somewhere in mid-April if Humane sticks to that timeline. Meanwhile, the remaining preorders ought to show up "shortly after."


Before its first product was even released, Humane generated a lot of tech hype thanks to the founders' time at Apple and a few suitably cryptic prelaunch videos. Early in November, in San Francisco, the Ai Pin was officially introduced, and we had the chance to play around with the wearable under supervision.

The gadget is the first well-known illustration of a trend that is probably going to gain traction in the consumer hardware industry as other businesses try to leverage the burgeoning field of generative AI for new form factors. With its product, Humane hopes to take the industry forward from its more than ten years of stagnation on the smartphone form factor.

Undoubtedly, this year will also mark the emergence of the "AI smartphone," or smartphones that utilize the GPT models of platforms from businesses such as OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft to introduce novel ways of engaging with consumer electronics. Meanwhile, during CES last month, startup rabbit created a stir with its own distinct approach to the generative AI-first consumer gadget.

Humane, for its part, is placing a lot of stock in this launch. With the $100 million Series C funding from last year included, the company has raised about $230 million to far. There's good reason to hold off on releasing a product until it's ready for the market. Although early users are somewhat accustomed to first-generation flaws, such tolerance is never infinite. A product such as this must, at the very least, perform most of its intended functions most of the time.

The company said during CES that it had let go of ten workers, or 10% of its whole workforce. That's not a big number for a startup of that size, but when it happens at a well-funded business at a moment when it has to give investors and customers alike confidence, it's very noteworthy.

Preorders for the Ai Pin are presently being accepted for $699. The device's $24/month membership service will be given away for free for three months to those who do so before March 31.