Humane warns AI Pin owners about charging case fire risk

The Humane AI Pin was revealed last November as a unique-looking alternative to smartphones, but the AI-powered device had a poor launch with harsh reviews.

The controversial Humane AI Pin is facing another blow to its image, as the company has emailed its customers to “immediately” stop using the product’s charge case accessory due to safety concerns.

This email claims Humane discovered a “quality issue” with the accessory’s battery cell that is “supplied by a third-party vendor”. The company discovered this issue after receiving a report of a charging issue, according to the email.

The start-up’s email to customers was shared by multiple sources including The Verge and Clovis CEO Drew Carson on X. Humane has not shared the issue publicly on its website or its X account at time of publication.

“Our investigation determined that the battery supplier was no longer meeting our quality standards and that there is a potential that certain battery cells supplied by this vendor may pose a fire safety risk,” the email said. “As a result, we immediately disqualified this battery vendor while we work to identify a new vendor to avoid such issues and maintain our high quality standards.

“The issue identified is isolated only to certain battery cells used in the charge case accessory and is not related to the charge case accessory hardware design.”

The start-up said it will provide customers with two additional months of the Humane subscription for free. Humane already provided early adopters of the AI Pin with a free subscription for three months earlier this year.

“While we know this may cause an inconvenience to you, customer safety is our priority at Humane,” the company said. “Rest assured we are committed to your safety and satisfaction and will share additional information when we have concluded our investigation.”

The Humane company was founded by former Apple designers and revealed details of its AI Pin in a video last November. The small device attracted some attention for its unique look, AI-powered features and a laser display that projects information onto your palm.

But the company has faced challenges since then, as the product’s release was met with a wave of negative reviews. These reviews included complaints of overheating and battery issues, along with some comments that the product was “thoroughly unfinished” and broken, painting a bleak picture for the future of this device.

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