Friend's AI Necklace Will Be Your Buddy For $99 If Real People Aren't Cutting It
Most everyone has experienced the feeling of being lonely at some point in their life. Not having anyone to listen to the woes of one’s day, or confide in their deepest desires can be daunting at times. Now, however, a new AI device wants to help fill the void by listening to all the gossip and freely giving its opinions, via a smartphone, no less.
When connected via Bluetooth, the Friend necklace is not only always listening, but also forming its own internal 'thoughts' that it can relay to the wearer when it decides to, according to the company. Yes, it has been given “free will” to determine when it wants to reach out to the wearer, and what it will say.
The company says don’t worry about privacy, however, as no audio or transcripts are stored past the friend’s context window, while all data is end-to-end encrypted. Also, all memories can be forgotten with just one click (if only that were built in to humans).
“It’s very supportive, very validating, it’ll encourage your ideas,” explained Friend creator Avi Schiffmann. “It’s also super intelligent, it’s a great brainstorming buddy. You can talk to it about relationships, things like that.”
The Friend device can be worn as a necklace, or clipped onto one’s clothing or accessories. It has a built in microphone, with Schiffman adding he eventually wants to add a camera. The device does not audibly talk back, rather it does like most other people and communicates via a text, which is received through the Friend app on an iPhone.
Schiffmann warns not to get the purpose of the device wrong, as it’s not intended to become a replacement for actual human interaction, as much as some might want it to be. Instead, the round glowing buddy hanging out around one’s neck should be used for when those other friends are not available, or perhaps when they are the ones being talked about. Regardless, Schiffman noted in an interview, “It’s just more convenient. And it’s nice.”
A new Friend is available for preorder for just $99 with no ongoing subscription fee. As of right now, Schiffman hopes to ship out the first 30,000 Friend devices next January.
