AI, I’m starting to find, is unavoidable. It’s built into my new Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, MacBook Pro, and even the web browser I use to do my work. It was only a matter of time before my beloved sound equipment got some form of AI implementation, and now that the likes of Google’s Gemini is available in the Pixel Buds Pro 2, it looks like that time is now. None of them seem to put AI at the center of the experience like this pair of earbuds unveiled at CES 2025, though.
They’re called the "Natura Umana", and the website splits the experience into two clear facets. The first are the HumanPods, the earbuds themselves, and then the software they use for their AI implementation, called NatureOS. The two work together so that you can, apparently, speak to “AI people” that can “do things in your place”.
The future of earbuds is apparently now, and I’m not entirely sure I’m on board.
Umana beings
At the core of the experience, the HumanPods (I’m surprised there are any -Pods names left) are an interesting pair of earbuds. They’re not in-ears like the AirPods Pro 2, but they’re open ears akin to Bose’s Ultra Open buds. That’s a style of buds that, traditionally, I’ve not gotten along with very well — I find it distracting to have a soundtrack that tries to vie with the outside world for my attention. But then the idea of the HumanPods isn’t first and foremost to listen to music.
While we’re given frequency response graphs and told there’s “Dynamic Bass Enhancement” (trademarked, of course, so that no one else can use the phrase), the main focus of the buds is the AI companion that they can apparently become, which only leave your ears when they need to charge. The battery life does sound fairly strong though, with 9 hours on tap and 24 hours in the charging case.
So, rather than a pair of headphones for listening to music, as you might expect from a pair of wireless earbuds, these are smart assistants akin to the Rabbit R1 that live within your ears. And I’m not entirely sure how I feel about that.
All Natura
I am not immune to understanding how useful an AI assistant can be. Since getting a modern Pixel device, I’ve used Gemini to check the kinds of phrases my US colleagues might use when I want to say something British like “I left my nick nacks in my rucksack” or double-checking when an album was released. I know that the rapid onset of AI in almost everything is unavoidable, and I’m prepared for what that means for my most used devices.
I am not a massive fan of feature creep — when a device gets continuously updated with new features to the point of ridiculousness
Here’s the thing though; I am simple when it comes to my earbuds and audio gear. I am not a massive fan of feature creep — when a device gets continuously updated with new features to the point of ridiculousness — and how it can often lead to the core purpose of something becoming lost in a mire of things I’m never going to use.
The HumanPods and their NatureOS are exemplary to this fact. They, rather than focussing on audio, will instead create a series of digital personal assistants that Natura Umana says will “change with the user”, creating, essentially, as many different AIs as there are people who own a pair of HumanPods. They are designed to mimic human interaction, thinking like a human and responding to requests like a human might. Sounds very “Her”, although I’m not entirely sure anyone will fall in love with this AI.
In theory, this is interesting. But I would rather a pair of headphones that sound amazing without some form of AI than ones with an AI that don’t play music as well, and part of me wonders whether that’s where the HumanPods are heading.
But I can see the allure, and I’ll admit the form factor lends itself well to a digital assistant. What other devices beyond your phone do you generally have on your person, or even use for extended periods of time? Our earbuds live in our ears for commutes, work hours, and more — so to put an assistant in them would make sense. But to do it at the expense of the music-listening experience? I’m not so sure, and given that I’ve seen earbuds forgo good sound for less impressive features I’m willing to bet that’s the case with the HumanPods.
I’m all for pulling our eyes away from screens, but I can’t help but feel another digital device is not the way to do it.
If you’re interested in the AI future of earbuds, then you can check out the HumanPods and NatureOS at the Natura Umana website, where you can join the waitlist for the buds. No news on price or release date as yet.
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