Apple is working on a wearable AI pin, report says

Rumoured to be the size of an AirTag, the wearable AI device could launch as early as next year

An Apple AirTag pictured in Washington, DC on 13 February, 2023. A new AI device rumoured to be coming in 2026 will be roughly the same size as an AirTag (Brendan Smialowski/ AFP via Getty Images)

Apple is reportedly working on a new artificial intelligence device that will include multiple cameras, microphones and a speaker – but no screen.

The AI pin, first reported by The Information, will be similarly sized to Apple’s AirTag trackers and is designed to be worn on a user’s body.

Citing sources close to the matter, the publication reported that it will be a thin, flat, circular disc with an aluminium and glass shell.

There will also be a physical button and it will feature similar wireless charging technology to the Apple Watch.

Apple is planning to release the device next year, according to the report, with plans to produce up to 20 million units at launch.

Apple would not be the first company to launch an AI wearable, with US startup Humane introducing a wearable, voice-operated AI assistant in 2024.

The Humane AI Pin clipped to a user’s clothes and was meant to serve as a standalone AI-powered device (Humane)

Designed by two former Apple employees, Humane’s $700 AI Pin was widely mocked for being slow, lacking features, and susceptible to overheating and shutting down.

The product is no longer supported or sold, with Humane eventually selling most of its assets to HP.

Reports of the AI wearable come just a week after Apple announced that its artificial intelligence features, including a revamped Siri assistant, will be powered by Google’s Gemini.

The multi-year collaboration will unlock “innovative new experiences” for Apple users, according to a joint statement from the two tech giants.

ChatGPT creator OpenAI is also developing an AI device, having acquired a hardware startup last year led by former Apple designer Jony Ive.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman claims it will be “the coolest piece of technology that the world will have ever seen”, though few details have been shared about what it will be.

“The product will be capable of being fully aware of a user’s surroundings and life, will be unobtrusive, able to rest in one’s pocket or on one’s desk,” Mr Altman reportedly said in an internal staff call last year.

It will be the company’s first physical product and is expected to launch at some point in 2026.