Two former Humane execs have left the struggling AI hardware startup to found Infactory, an AI-powered fact-checking search engine focused exclusively on data. The move comes as Humane faces post-launch struggles with its much-hyped AI device.
Founders’ background: Brooke Hartley Moy, former Humane Strategic Partnerships Lead, and Ken Kocienda, former Head of Product Engineering, are now CEO and CTO of Infactory, respectively.
Infactory’s AI-powered approach: The new search engine will utilize large language models to enable more natural queries, but the actual search results will come directly from trusted data sources without the risk of AI hallucinations.
Distancing from Humane’s hardware struggles: While acknowledging the difficulty of launching a hardware startup, the Infactory founders deny that Humane’s much-publicized post-launch challenges directly motivated their decision to leave and start their own company.
Funding and launch plans: Infactory has raised an undisclosed pre-seed round and will focus on securing seed funding over the next 6-18 months, with a planned launch coming in a matter of months.
Analyzing deeper: The story of two key execs leaving a struggling AI hardware startup to found a software-based AI fact-checking tool raises intriguing questions about the current state of the AI industry:
Infactory’s launch plans will provide a fascinating test case to explore these crucial questions. The backgrounds of its founders and the startup’s strategic decisions thus far hint at key emerging dynamics in the rapidly evolving AI startup landscape.