A new idea for AI devices has come from US start-up Friend, which is launching a necklace that aims to be a constant companion.
The Friend device is a pendant that listens to its wearer throughout the day and sends conversational text messages based on their life events.
Friend was made available for pre-order on July 30, introduced with a blog post by founder Avi Schiffmann titled “Happy International Friendship Day.” He began the post by expressing how lonely he had felt.
In interviews with tech publications, Schiffmann shared his disappointment with AI’s focus on productivity. He started developing Friend during a lonely business trip in Tokyo with his productivity-focused AI prototype, Tab. Schiffmann wanted the AI to feel like a real companion traveling with him.
He modified the prototype into Friend, which focuses solely on providing conversational companionship.
Friend’s AI listens all the time and sends messages without prompting. Users can also press the center of the device to talk directly to their companion and receive a response. A promotional video shows the device usually taking a positive and supportive tone. While users speak to Friend, it always replies via text message.
Though some consumers might be uncomfortable with constant audio recording, Schiffmann believes it is essential for natural-feeling interactions. “You don’t need to give your Friend context,” Schiffmann said on X. “[You] can just walk out of a meeting and say ‘that was crazy’ and they understand.”
Friend has a simple, rounded design with a light-up center and is initially available only in white. It contains a Bluetooth microphone, and all data is processed in the cloud with end-to-end encryption and no long-term storage.
There is no backup for Friend; if the necklace is lost or damaged, the company says that is the end of that particular Friend.
Friend is the latest project from Schiffmann, who first gained recognition at age 17 for creating one of the first Covid-tracking websites in the US. Later, while at Harvard in 2022, he built a website.
Source: tribune
