In case you didn’t know, Humane is a top-secret tech startup that was founded by ex-Apple vets Bethany Bongiorno and Imran Chaudhri. And the team has just shown off the game-changing Humane AI projector at a TED talk.
The TED talk started off with a quick summary of how fast AI is evolving. Chaudhri even did a shout-out on Bill Gates’s prediction on how AI will be as profound as the graphical user interface that ushered in the personal computing space. With that, the founder showed off the Humane AI project and all the things that it can do.
Things That Humane AI Wearable Can Do
One thing is quite obvious; the Humane AI project is coming after smartphones. According to Chaudhri, the Humane AI wearable interacts with the world exactly the way you interact with it.
The wearable device hears what you hear and sees what you see. The wearable will fade “into the background of your life.” But yes, Chaudhri did emphasize privacy, which will be the first priority for the device.
Phone Function
In the TED talk, Chaudhri raised his hand, and the wearable displayed a proper incoming call interface. Here, you need to note one thing. That is: the AI wearable does not need to be paired with a smartphone. Nor will you need any other device connected to it for it to work.
First public call on a @humane device, with audio! — Michael Mofina (@MichaelMofina) April 21, 2023
Translation Feature
The demo of the Humane AI projector showed off a translation feature. That is, the wearable will be able able to translate into another language. But the important takeaway is that the device will utilize your voice model to deliver natural conversation capabilities.
According to Axios, Chaudhri could translate his voice to French from English using the Humane AI projector. And as stated above, the demo of the translation feature utilized the AI-generated version of Chaudhri’s own voice.
Catch Me Up and Quick Search Feature
Ali, a Journalist, described two additional features of the Humane AI wearable in the TED talk. Among them, there is the “catch me up” feature. It scrapes your meetings, events, and other things to give you a quick list. This list will let you get a glimpse of everything that you have missed.
“Catch me up,” a summary of crucial information you may have missed while you were busy, on @humane’s device.
At the TED talk, the Humane AI projector was able to give Chaudhri a recap of all the important pieces of info without bombarding him with notifications. In addition to that, the wearable has the ability to answer all your daily questions. For example, Chaudhri tapped into the wearable and asked for places where he could grab a gift for his wife quickly.
The wearable replied with a location close by that’s the best pick for gift shopping. In other words, the Humane AI wearable can work as an alternative to Siri or Google Assistant you have on your smartphone.
Health Monitoring Feature
Micheal Mofina, who caught the TED talk live before the link was removed, shared an interesting video that showcases another Humane AI wearable feature. It showcases how the wearable can help you avoid foods that are bad for your health.
@humane’s device helping you decide what you can and cannot eat based on knowing your preferences and dietary restrictions.
In the demo, Chaudhri took out a candy bar and held it in front of the device. He tapped on the wearable device and asked, “Can I eat this?.” The AI wearable device pointed out that the candy bar contains cocoa butter, which Chaudhri should avoid, given his intolerance.
That is, the Humane AI wearable knows what is best for you and makes sure that you are in total control of your food intake. Interestingly, Chaudhri tapped on the device and said, “I’m gonna eat it anyway.” The AI replied with some humor, “Enjoy it.”
Humane AI Wearable is Screenless, Seamless, and Sensing!
At this stage of the Humane AI wearable, people are speculating it to be a projector of sorts, and that actually appears to be the case. According to Chaudhri, “AI will be the driving force behind the next leap in device design.”
Chaudri adds that the experience with the Humane AI wearable will be “screenless, seamless, and sensing.” It will offer you access to the power of computing while being present in your life. The device will fix “a balance that’s felt out of place for some time now.”
At the demo, Chaudri showed off the Humane AI wearable as a device that’s attached to his jacket. There is a pair (or more) of a sensor and a camera. But as Mofia points out, Chaudri shared that the wearable will not have a “wake word” like Alexa or Siri. And that’s quite evident as Chaudri was tapping the device during the demo.
The Humane AI projector also has LED Lights, which will indicate when the device is listening. It can also work as a notification light, alerting you when there is an incoming call, for example.
Another key takeaway from the Humane AI wearable demo is that the device addresses the need to replace screens. As Chaudri describes, “For the human-technology relationship to actually evolve beyond screens, we need something radically different.”
A lot of Twitter users have raised some crucial questions regarding how the Humane AI projector works. For example, there are concerns regarding how much it will weigh and whether it will weigh down a light shirt. Moreover, people are curious about the attaching process.
The TED talk did not share in-depth details regarding these concerns. However, we surely hope that Humane will come forward and showcase its device in its full form pretty soon.