The dawn of Intelligence Age – human(e)
In rare times in history, we have witnessed periods of innovation that transform the world forever. From the Neolithic Age to the four industrial revolutions, innovation has induced irreversible changes in the economic, social, and cultural elements of human life. In the late 1990s, the advancement of the internet brought forward the digital world. Fast forward to June 29th, 2007, Apple brought "The Information Age" to the masses with the introduction of the new iPhone. It gave us the ability to take the internet and information with us so now the information was accessible anywhere and anytime. It was a massive leap at the time however for almost 20 years, we have seen people be more distracted and disconnected than ever. In 2023 technology is advancing faster and taking less time to be adapted than ever before. AI is advancing faster than ever. We now stand at the dawn of new age. "The Intelligence Age".
Background:
A stealth startup founded by ex-Apple executives Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno promises to deliver AI to the masses with an ambition to make technology as invisible as the air we breathe by seamlessly integrating it into our day-to-day lives. Humane has raised $230 million [as of March 2023] to build what it calls “a first-of-its-kind software platform and consumer device built from the ground up for AI”. Humane has also partnered with Microsoft to provide cloud processing power and OpenAI to integrate its AI models like ChatGPT and DALL-E into its devices. Moreover, LG and Volvo are also working with humane on R&D projects for its integration into smart homes and the automotive industry.
What is Humane building?
A body-worn device with a camera and a laser projector built heavily upon AI technology with an app ecosystem. The product has two main highlights, the new laser projector interface and the AI technology.
The Interface:
Even though the projector interface has the function of normal screens, by building a software platform and hardware line that doesn’t rely on screens, every surface can potentially become a screen. So it can augment a lot of things in our day-to-day activities. Here are some examples:
Imagine you are reading a newspaper. The projector can project interactive information like animations on the paper to enhance our reading or give more details on certain news.
You are going to a new place and need directions. The laser projection can be projected onto your hand the directions, eliminating the need to pull out the phone
The possibilities to augment things are endless as it applies to each mundane action we do, like imagine you are cutting onions and getting the answer from AI for questions like "How big should I cut these onions". The goal is to make a device to give a more natural interface with the digital world. The interface also eliminates the distraction that comes with using the current devices because when we use them we ''tend to lose sight of what's immediately around us". The projector allows us to get data without having to look down at any kind of screen.
Here are some of the images of the new interface:
The AI Technology:
A collaboration with OpenAI will integrate its technology into the Humane device and deliver OpenAI and Humane AI experiences at scale to consumers. It will enable people to bring AI with them everywhere, like iPhone enable people to bring information and the internet with them everywhere. The ML technology will allow the device to learn about us, our needs, our desires, and our lives to give us an AI-driven computing experience that's personal and contextual. The device can have AI capabilities that are so into you that you can simply point at the pair of shoes and ask if there are available in your size. It can have the ability to deploy ChatGPT for writing emails or being able to ask questions about an art gallery or a restaurant or a new city without having to refer to anything like a Smartphone. Humane is building experiences around interactions with AI that fit around someone's normal life instead of forcing them to shape theirs around another screen.
Why do we need Humane?
This new era of personal computing is about the technology being truly personal and human-centered. However until now, companies think that VR headsets will provide a human-centered experience, however, this transition from smartphone screens to VR headsets only brings the screens from hands to millimetres away from your eyeballs however humane believes that "the future is not on your face".
Big Tech companies like meta are ambitious about the metaverse project however this may lead to a more distracted world than today. Just look at this 1 min video where Pranav Mistry(founder of Two Platforms Inc) describes the problem with the technology current big tech companies aspire to develop.
Ending:
Humane will announce the product in “Spring 2023”.
