The latest AI hardware gimmick is a $99 wearable pendant that’s “always listening” and “talking” to you about whatever you’re doing. It’s called Friend, and it’s the product of Avi Schiffmann, a tech prodigy who’s launched some impressive (if occasionally controversial) projects in the past. Schiffmann announced Friend on Tuesday, posting a video to X showing off the virtual companion’s apparent capabilities. The friend isn’t actually talking to you. Instead, it’ll text you, sending quips to your phone in response to something you might say or do.
introduce friends. Not imaginary.
Go to https://t.co/7kGiH5pQVK to order now pic.twitter.com/qU58xNvX5v
— Avi (@AviSchiffmann) July 30, 2024
Friend is currently only available for pre-order, and according to The Verge , the first batch of pendants may not actually ship until January next year. Interestingly, it was once conceptualized by Schiffman as a “wearable mom,” but it didn’t feel that user-friendly. “Friends” might be a better brand choice. The device was also formerly known as the “Tab”.
Despite a well-produced ad released Tuesday, the product’s website, Friend.com, offers little useful user information. The site’s “blog,” equivalent to an article published today, explains Schiffman’s vision for the automatic pendant.
Schiffman’s blog states:
Friends were an expression of how alone I felt.
I want to thank all the incredible artists and engineers who have helped me bring this work to life over the past year. You have definitely given me a deeper appreciation for art in everyday objects.
We can’t wait to hear how friends fit into your life. Thanks for checking us out.
The FAQ page provides a limited look at the product, but specifies that the pendant pairs with the user’s smartphone via Bluetooth and collects information about the user’s daily activities through recordings. The website states: “When connected via Bluetooth, your friends are always listening and forming their own inner thoughts.” Through this data collection, “friends” can generate “thoughts” about your activities, which are then Automatic text messages are shared with you.
Presumably, the data logged by the device is stored locally, although there’s nothing concrete proving this on the website. The site’s privacy policy contains vague language on data collection: “The personal information we collect depends on the context of your interactions with us and the Services, the choices you make, and the products and features you use,” it says. Further down the line, the policy states that it does not collect any “sensitive information,” but fails to explain what qualifies as “sensitive.” Gizmodo reached out to the company for further answers, and we’ll update this article when we hear back.
Friend is the latest novelty to be brought to us by the market for artificial intelligence hardware, a branch of the broader artificial intelligence industry that has struggled to develop so far. First there’s Humane, which is trying to sell us an “AI pin,” a talking wearable designed to replace smartphones. The product was later called a “disaster” and its executives were already considering selling the company. Then there was the Rabbit R1, which, despite its initial strong response, has since been dubbed a “half-baked” experiment that didn’t quite work as advertised.
It makes some sense that Friend might try to temper expectations after these previous ventures failed to deliver on lofty promises. Still, the product feels dodgy. It’s hard to imagine what Friend’s multi-year business plan is because it provides so few actual services.
Also, as Schiffman says, since the device’s primary association seems to be loneliness and it’s a substitute for actual human connection, wearing such a device seems to signal to others that you’re a bit of a failure. Unlike Friends or Romance chatbots, which you can enjoy in the privacy of your own home, hanging a Loneliness Amulet around your neck in public may be slightly less appealing to its introvert user base .
If anything, the device seems destined to work commercially as a short-term cash grab driven by Gen Z’s ironic purchase: “Look, man, I got you a friend — because you desperately needed one. Friend, haha. If anything, “Friend” may have found its footing on this commercial level.
