The future has no hands: The Ai Pin represents a pivotal step towards hands-free technology, aiming to integrate seamlessly into daily life

Ai Pin is a wearable gadget designed for interacting with language models, not apps, and for talking instead of typing. Launched in 2018 by Humane Inc., an electronics company founded by Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno, it started shipping in April of 2024 and despite the mind-blowing technology was met with poor reviews. But the implications of this wearable tech in terms of its cognitive enhancement are important beyond the product’s basic functionality. Decimal Lab’s researchers are using  The Fabric of Digital Life to start tracking the development, deployment and adoption of this artificial intelligence product as the company promises to replace the mobile phone with wearable technology that not only has its own SIM card but promises to understand its user’s intentions. Basically, the more you talk to Ai Pin, the more it understands you. Whether or not Ai Pin fully realizes its design concept, this product represents a departure from traditional handheld phones by integrating information processing and network communication into a hands-free device. This departure suggests a shift towards more integrated and accessible ways of interacting with information and communication services within everyday environments. The structural properties of the Ai Pin, such as gesture control, will undoubtedly lead to more efficient or reliable alternatives and this is why the evolution of the tech is important to document.

The Ai Pin is a small square worn on clothing. Its core functionalities include making calls, sending messages, capturing photos, playing music, and taking notes. Basically, this smart jewelry manages your digital world by acting as a hands-free, voice activated assistant who can research, translate, shop or assist with nutrition by identifying how many calories a product has just by scanning it. The device uses a laser to project images, such as the time, weather or text messages. The operating system, called cosmOS, learns where you are, what you like and what you are doing, allowing the Ai Pin to give you what you want within that context without needing to navigate through apps.

Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno, former employees at Apple, wanted to make the Ai Pin personal, allowing users to be present by wearing the technology. Ai Pin has not shipped beyond the United States and is not mass produced for in-store consumers. Only futurists or tech columnists have reviewed the product and as of June, the company is looking to sell to major telecoms. But the emergence of industry standards and protocols for smart textiles as well as how various companies might adopt and advance this technology is what is key for The Fabric of Digital Life’s Ai Pin case study, which is housed within the Augmentation technologies: Augmentation Technologies and AI – An Ethical Design Futures Framework. In this collection, Fabric is archiving keywords and terminology, such as multimodal, that will define this technology. The Fabric case study will trace the shift from brand-centric marketing to technology-centric narratives revealing how new actions and behaviors associated with Ai Pin enter our culture. The broader impact of this technology on the future will only be revealed through documentation. Despite initial challenges and limited availability, its evolution and potential to redefine how we interact with digital devices are critical for future technological advancements.