Holes Begin to Appear in AI Hype
Last week was a strange one in the consumer gadgets space. A debate involving the most popular tech gadget reviewer and product review ethics generated days of buzz and attention. Given how quickly the news cycle moves these days, such longevity jumped out at me. However, the most valuable takeaways and insights from the ordeal seem to have been glossed over. As the first wave of AI-infused consumer gadgets from start-ups come on the scene, AI hype is starting to face reality, and holes are appearing.
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The Rabbit r1 Unveiling
Rabbit has the appearance of being the hardware startup that AI-centric folks have been waiting for. Unlike Humane’s $200 million multi-year tease that culminated in one of the oddest consumer gadget unveilings in recent memory for its Ai Pin, Rabbit unveiled its $199 r1 to little fanfare with a taped keynote posted to X. With its $30 million of funding, Rabbit won’t be able to escape the same fundamental AI hardware issues facing Humane in its attempt to get around Big Tech.
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Humane’s Unimaginative Pin
After what seemed like a never-ending stream of teases and leaks, Humane finally revealed its hyped product: Ai Pin. It’s a wearable camera worn on clothing that is meant to move people beyond smartphones. While the company has received some accolades for simply getting to the point of announcing a new product – something that strikes me as being an awfully low bar to get over – there has been no shortage of skepticism and doubt. The actual 10-minute reveal video was one of the worst I’ve seen in consumer tech. I can only imagine the video and delivery, which is completely void of excitement or joy, is exactly what Humane’s co-founders envisioned. Dissenting opinions, if there were even any, must have been shunned. For me, the bigger issue at play with Humane is the company’s overall lack of imagination.
Humane was able to do something that up to now seemed very difficult: make the iPhone unveiling in 2007 look like something from the future.
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