‘Friend’ Is an AI Pendant That Will Send You Texts About Your Life. You Know, Like a Friend.

The newest AI hardware gimmick is simply a $99 wearable pendant that is “always listening” and volition “talk” to you astir immoderate you hap to beryllium doing. It’s called Friend, and it’s the merchandise of Avi Schiffmann, a techno-wunderkind who has spun up immoderate awesome (albeit, occasionally controversial) projects successful the past. Schiffmann announced the motorboat of Friend connected Tuesday, publishing a video to X to showcase the virtual companion’s evident capabilities. Friend doesn’t really speech to you. Instead, it texts you, sending small quips to your telephone successful effect to things you mightiness accidental oregon do.

introducing friend. not imaginary.

order present astatine https://t.co/7kGiH5pQVK pic.twitter.com/qU58xNvX5v

— Avi (@AviSchiffmann) July 30, 2024

Friend is presently lone disposable for pre-order, and The Verge reports that the archetypal batch of pendants whitethorn not really vessel until adjacent January. Hilariously, it was erstwhile conceptualized by Schiffmann as a “wearable mom,” which doesn’t person rather the aforesaid user-friendly ringing to it. “Friend” was astir apt a amended branding choice. The instrumentality was besides antecedently called “Tab.”

Despite the well-produced advertisement released Tuesday, determination is small successful the mode of adjuvant idiosyncratic accusation connected the product’s website, Friend.com. The site’s “blog” amounts to 1 post, published today, that explains Schiffmann’s imaginativeness for the automated pendant.

The blog, penned by Schiffmann, states:

Friend is an look of however lonely I’ve felt.

I privation to convey each the unthinkable artists and engineers who person helped maine bring this enactment to beingness implicit the past year. You person genuinely fixed maine a deeper appreciation for the creation I spot successful mundane objects.

We can’t hold to perceive however person fits into your life. Thanks for checking america out.

A FAQ page provides constricted insights into the product, but specifies that the pendant pairs with a user’s smartphone via bluetooth and collects accusation connected the user’s regular activities via dependable recording. The tract states: “When connected via bluetooth, your person is ever listening and forming their ain interior thoughts.” Through this information collection, the “friend” tin past make “thoughts” astir your activities, which it past shares with you via automated substance messages.

Presumably the information recorded by the instrumentality is stored locally, though determination isn’t thing connected the tract that specifically attests to that. The site’s privacy policy includes vague connection astir information collection: “The idiosyncratic accusation that we cod depends connected the discourse of your interactions with america and the Services, the choices you make, and the products and features you use,” it says. Further down, the argumentation besides claims it doesn’t cod immoderate “sensitive information,” but fails to explicate conscionable what qualifies arsenic “sensitive.” Gizmodo reached retired to the institution for further answers and we’ll update this station erstwhile we person a response.

Friend is the latest novelty brought to america by the AI hardware market, a subsection of the broader AI manufacture that has had a beauteous unsmooth spell of it truthful far. First determination was Humane, which tried to merchantability america the “AI pin,” a talking wearable meant to replace the smartphone. The merchandise has since been dubbed a “disaster” and its executives are already looking to sell the company. Then determination was the Rabbit R1, which, contempt beardown archetypal buzz, has since been dubbed a “half-baked” experiment that doesn’t enactment arsenic advertised.

It makes a definite magnitude of consciousness that, aft these erstwhile businesses failed to present connected lofty promises, Friend mightiness effort to support expectations low. Still, the merchandise can’t assistance but look grift-y. It’s hard to ideate what the multi-year concern program for Friend is, since it offers truthful small successful the mode of existent services.

Similarly, since the device’s main relation seems to be—as Schiffmann has enactment it—loneliness, and it acts a replacement for existent quality connection, wearing specified a instrumentality would look to awesome to others that you’re a spot of a loser. Unlike a “friend” oregon “romance” chatbot, which you tin enjoy from the privateness of your ain home, wearing the “loner amulet” astir your cervix successful nationalist whitethorn beryllium somewhat little appealing to its introverted idiosyncratic base.

If anything, the instrumentality seems destined to enactment commercially arsenic a short-term cash-grab fueled by Gen-Z irony purchases: “Look, dude, I got you a Friend—since you desperately request one, haha.” It whitethorn beryllium astatine this level of commerce that Friend finds its footing, if astatine all.