How to deal with an existing Humane Ai Pin

As of today, the humanitarian AI pin has died – no more than a year since its launch. After HP’s acquisition, Humane shut down many of the core features that power AI-powered wearable and delete user data, making it useless. Yes, there are still some features like checking battery life (useful!), but you can’t access the voice assistant.

If you spend $700 on an AI PIN, you might be wondering what you can do now. These are risks for early adopters, but are not refunded by brick equipment before the warranty and even feel like a robbery. Humans sold about 10,000 units, although daily returns exceeded sales at some point, so there were even fewer pins in the world. Still, it’s thousands of useless devices. This is the amount of e-waste generated in a year around the world (just at a crisis point, ready), but humanitarianism should indeed provide a more responsible approach to the demise of AI PINs.

However, there may not be a way to get your money back. If you purchased a PIN in October 2024 (for some reason), it might be a typical 120-day window to issue a refund to your credit card. However, there are some other options. Let’s explore.

File a complaint with the FTC

Products that kill consumers spend money are “unfair and deceptive”. That’s what Lucas Gutterman told Wired via email. He is the campaign director for a campaign aimed at the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG).

“When we buy something that has advertising capabilities, we deserve our payment, and when we are deprived, the law should protect us,” Gutterman said. “I urge everyone who buys AI PIN to file a complaint with the FTC so that they can strengthen and protect consumers.”

Last year, a coalition of groups like PIRG and Consumer Reports sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission urging the agency to address “software tying,” described as using software to control and limit the functionality of a device after someone purchases it. The FTC then conducted a study that sought to identify software support commitments for more than 180 products, only to find that “nearly 89% of the manufacturer’s pages of these products failed to disclose when the product would receive software updates.”

Humane’s warranty states that “software and software features” are excluded, which is often the case on many connected products. But the study also states that it would be deceptive if manufacturers promote the features of the device but fail to provide software updates to maintain those features – which could be a violation of the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act, which was enacted in 1975 to protect consumers from unfair warranties.

“Without transparent software-supported tags, or by taking away key features of advertising, manufacturers could deceive consumers into violating FTC behavior,” Gutterman said.