Remember the AI Pin? This little pin doped with AI which was really supposed to oust smartphones from our livesbut which ultimately turned out to be rather catastrophic. Bugs, latency, erratic behavior of the onboard AI, etc. In short, the AI Pin was simply a poorly polished prototype.
The Californian company Humane AI, which developed this object, is now trying to position itself on the operating systems market, with its CosmOS designed to be a unified OS, running thanks to AI. Here again, some discouraging signs lead us to believe that the company could once again hit the ground running.
CosmOS, a new mirage?
In the promotional video (see above) broadcast by Humane, the company presents the potential applications of CosmOS (and there are many !): voice control in automobiles, interaction with television, home automation management, etc. Everything obviously seems very attractive, especially since CosmOS aims for a certain form of universality and seems to work with all the objects presented in the video.
The OS therefore uses AI to understand the context, preferences and needs of the user, in order to provide personalized assistance. It answers questions asked in the vehicle, gives cooking recipes, precise information on certain themes, can check emails, the calendar and tasks that remain to be done in the diary.
All very nice, but some clues smell like wet firecrackers. The blurred logos of the partner brands on the steering wheel of the car shown, as well as the connected speaker, cast doubt on the real existence of these industrial collaborations.
Another clue, obviously located at the end of the video, which will have to be read in two seconds flat : “ This video demonstrates working prototypes and includes some simulated experiments. All designs, features and specifications are for illustrative purposes only, are subject to change and may not reflect final product performance or availability. This presentation is not a commitment to deliver specific functionality, features, or timelines, and final products and experiences may vary. “.
A clause that explicitly states that CosmOS is still in development and which allows Humane AI to absolve itself of any responsibility for user expectations.
A reconversion under pressure
This change of direction on the part of the company is also carried out in a rather delicate context. As written previously, the AI Pin marketed last April, shows commercial performance at half mast, since daily returns exceed sales. A price drop six months after the launch does not seem to have reversed the trend.
Sources close to the matter even mention discussions for a potential external acquisition of the company, HP having notably expressed its interest.
For the moment, the CosmOS SDK (development kit) remains inaccessible to the public, Humane web page only offering a registration form for interested developers. Quite bare, it provides little information for the moment. It is therefore still much too early to make a definitive judgment on CosmOS, but the first signals are not very good.
- After the failure of the AI Pin, Humane AI is banking on CosmOS, an OS powered by AI for connected devices.
- The promotional video features prototypes and simulated experiments, with no guarantee of final functionality.
- CosmOS is, for the moment, clearly at the prototype stage.
