Humane AI Pin charging case is a fire hazard

Humane’s AI Pin may go down in history as one of the worst launches of a tech product ever.

While the AI Pin itself is an interesting and novel take on a mobile “computer,” the company launched to scathing reviews that listed numerous issues with the Pin’s most basic features, including the on-palm projection and the gestures used to control the device. This was followed by a report that Humane is already looking to sell the company, just weeks after it launched the AI Pin, its first and only product.

But the real nail in the coffin for the AI Pin might be the company’s most recent email to customers (via Engadget), in which it warns them not to use the product’s charging case as it may pose a “fire safety risk.”

“Out of an abundance of caution, we are reaching out today to ask that you immediately stop using and charging your Charge Case Accessory due to an issue with certain battery cells for the Charge Case Accessory,” the email said. In the email, Humane said that it received a “single report of a charging issue while using a third-party USB-C cable and third-party power source,” and that it then identified a “quality issue with the battery cell supplied by a third-party vendor used in your Charge Case Accessory.”

Humane said that “certain battery cells supplied by this vendor may pose a fire safety risk,” and that it immediately disqualified this battery vendor and is currently working to identify a new vendor.

But what does it mean for anyone who already bought the Humane AI Pin? That part is a little unclear. While Humane says that the issue “is isolated only to certain battery cells used in the Charge Case Accessory,” and that while the AI Pin itself, its Battery Boosters and Charge Pad aren’t affected, it still means that every owner of the AI Pin should stop using its Charge Case right now. It’s unclear whether the company plans to replace faulty charge cases with new ones once it finds a new battery vendor. (We’ve reached out to Humane about this and will update this article when we hear back.)

While the $149 Charge Case is technically an accessory, it is a very important part of the package as it allows you to charge the AI Pin, which is by definition a mobile device, on the go.

Right now, the Charge Case is listed as out of stock on the company website, and if you order the AI Pin, which normally includes a Charge Case, you won’t get one (Humane says it will ship separately when available).