Today, a good artificial intelligence wearable device is hard to find. While tech startups like HumaneAI and Rabbit R1 try to reinvent the wheel with minimalist versions of smartphones, an upcoming device called Friend just wants to work for you, if its advertising is to be believed.
Friend is a wearable, spherical artificial intelligence companion that hangs around the neck and was created by Avi Schifmann, best known for a website he built in 2020 to help track the spread of Covid-19. According to Schifmann in interviews with The Verge and WIRED media, Friend is just a friend. The purpose is not to handle tasks or increase productivity, but to provide support, offering advice and encouragement when needed.
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Schiffman, who has been working on the idea for years, announced the project Tuesday. The reaction on social media was not kind. To be fair, the trailer is beautiful.
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One X user even claimed – in rap form (!?) – that “Friend” was his idea.
Mix and match speed of light
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To make matters worse, after raising $2.5 million in funding, the founders used $1.8 million of it to purchase a domain for the company’s products.
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So what we’re left with and what’s shown in the trailer is essentially a Bluetooth device strapped around your neck that’s always listening. This way it can send you text messages on your phone. According to the site’s FAQ page, “Your friends are always listening and forming their own inner thoughts. We give your friends free will when they decide to contact you.”
Understandably, this might sound a little creepy. The website assures potential buyers that nothing will be tracked, recorded or recorded. They promise that all data is “end-to-end encrypted” and can be deleted via the Friend app – FYI, the app is only available on iOS. Oh, and if you destroy your friends, you’ll need to start over with a new one.
If you want to get your hands on one, you’ll have to wait. Pre-orders start at $99.99, and shipping is tentatively scheduled for the first quarter of next year, according to the website. Maybe during that time you can make real friends.
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