Humane AI Pins are being returned at a ridiculous pace

2025-04-28 02:50:22admin

Things aren't looking very bright for Humane.

The company's only product, Humane AI Pin, is being returned en masse, with returns actually outpacing sales in the past couple of months.

This is according to The Verge, who spoke to people with knowledge of the subject, and saw Humane's internal sales data. According to the report, more AI Pins were returned than purchased between May and August. And as of today, only 7,000 to 8,000 units have not been returned.

The Humane AI Pin is an interesting product, a rectangular wearable gadget with speech recognition, AI smarts, a camera, and a tiny laser projector that can display a rudimentary "screen" onto your palm. Unfortunately, it was met with scathing reviews, exacerbated by issues with a charging case that turned out to be a fire hazard.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

SEE ALSO: Humane to AI Pin owners: Don't use the charging case, it may burst into flames

I've personally spent a few minutes with the Humane AI Pin and found it to be an incredibly cool gadget, though Humane's ambitions of the AI Pin replacing the smartphone seemed unrealistic.

Judging by this latest sales/returns data, the novelty of the AI Pin wears off fast (and the $24/month subscription fee probably doesn't help). Humane reportedly shipped a total of around 10,000 AI Pins so far, falling far behind its expectations to sell 100,000 units in the first year.

To make matters worse, Humane reportedly cannot refurbish returned items due to a technical limitation related to T-Mobile's service, which effectively turns returned items into waste (and a total loss for the company).