--- title: "Maker of Disastrous “AI Pin” Device Admits It Can Cause Fire While Charging" description: "In an email sent out to customers, Humane admitted that a third-party battery cell used in some of the AI Pins \"may pose a fire safety risk.\"" date: "2024-06-06" modified: "2024-06-06" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/ai-pin-device-fire-hazard" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "ai chatbots" - "ai pin" - "humane" - "the digest" --- # Maker of Disastrous “AI Pin” Device Admits It Can Cause Fire While Charging ![In an email sent out to customers, Humane admitted that a third-party battery cell used in some of the AI Pins "may pose a fire safety risk."]() *\Image: Humane / Futurism\* ## Fire Sale First as tragedy, then as farce. Human's disastrous AI Pin device, which went on sale earlier this year, isn't just an [overpriced disappointment](). Now it turns out that it's a literal fire hazard. According to an email sent out to customers, first [obtained by *The Verge*](), Humane admitted that a battery cell used in some of the devices "may pose a fire safety risk" and that customers should "immediately" stop using the charging case shipped with the Pin. Worse yet, the company has yet to issue a public statement on its social media feeds or website. Not that those customers, who shelled out $700 for the device, would probably want to use it in the first place. The gadget was [immediately panned by reviewers]() who criticized it as one of the worst tech products ever released. That negative reception has left its mark on the company. Humane is now reportedly seeking to sell itself to tech giant HP, as the [*New York Times* reports](). If the sale goes through, HP may get a terrific price. The company only sold 10,000 units, a *tenth* of what it had planned on. ## Pin Factory Fire safety aside, the small gadget, which is meant to be worn like a broach, already had a strong tendency to heat up during operation. According to the *NYT*, executives used "ice packs so it would last longer" before showing the device off to prospective investors, a damning indictment of the company's failure to live up to its once lofty promises. Battery life was also subpar, requiring several backup batteries to be switched out during the day, making it a nonstarter for users accustomed to the lasting charge of a smartphone. In short, it shouldn't come as a surprise that several Humane employees tried to stop the device from launching due to its half-baked state, as the *NYT* reports. Was Humane ahead of its time with its AI chatbot-enabled assistant — or is the entire product category doomed from the start? Given [what we've seen so far](), it's starting to look more like the latter. **More on the Pin:** *[Humane's AI "Pin" Is a $700 Flaming Dumpster Fire]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()