Have you always dreamed of an AI friend you wear around your neck? Me neither. But the new ‘Friend’ wearable is set to make a Black Mirror-esque companion a reality.
The AI-powered device, announced on Wednesday, is designed to be a constant, supportive presence for its user, offering companionship, emotional support, and even practical assistance. It's worn as a necklace and uses advanced artificial intelligence to learn and adapt to its user's personality, preferences, and routines.
A friend also comes with built-in mics that are always on, allowing it to gather the information you talk about activities on your phone, and whatever you tell it when you press its round face to connect with you.
"When connected via Bluetooth, your friend is always listening and forming their own internal thoughts," the AI startup that created Friend says in an FAQ section on its site. "We have given your friend free will for when they decide to reach out to you."
"No audio or transcripts are stored past your friend’s context window. Your data is end-to-end encrypted. All memories can be deleted in one click within the friend app," Friend's creators assure.
Users can interact with Friends through voice commands, touch, or a companion smartphone app. It's also equipped with sensors to monitor the user's physical and emotional state, allowing it to provide support and encouragement. Still, the AI startup that created the device insist that it's not a replacement for human connection but rather a supplement.
Friend’s launch video is going viral across social media platforms, gaining over 22 million views on X and an incredibly mixed reception.
In the video, Friend offers unsolicited commentary on a woman's hike, another woman's lunch, and the show she's watching on her phone. It's a third woman's most trusted companion aside from a potential beau.
What is Friend AI?
‘Friend’ is an AI wearable device designed to provide companionship and emotional support. Powered by the Large Language model (LLM) Claude 3.5, the device sits on a lanyard worn around the neck and interacts with the user via a connected phone.
The device will also send you unprompted commentary throughout the day. ‘Friend’ is connected via Bluetooth and is always listening. The company behind the device say that this is so the ‘friend’ can form ‘their own internal thoughts’ on your life and day-to-day experiences. They also state they have programmed the device to have ‘free will’ for when they ‘decide to reach out to you.’
Rather than focusing on productivity, the device is just a thin layer that connects to your phone via Bluetooth and constantly listens to you, in a bid to combat loneliness.
You can tap on the walkie-talkie button on the hardware and talk to the device. It will send you an in-app response to it like a text, and since Friend is listening to you all the time, it also can proactively send a message. For instance, it might wish you good luck before an interview.
The ‘friend’ AI device costs $99 dollars, and unlike other wearable devices, there is no ongoing subscription cost.
As well as requiring Bluetooth, ‘friend’ also requires a stable internet connection and a connected iOS device. The company plans to support Android devices in future models depending on demand.
Unlike other AI devices, all information is stored on the device itself, meaning that if you break your device there is no ‘backup’ or ‘recovery plan’ for your ‘friend’.
This is to protect privacy from the ‘always listening’ device, with no ‘audio or transcripts’ stored past the device's ‘context window’. All data is also end-to-end encrypted and can also be mass deleted easily within the attached app. Despite these safety protocols, many are still fearful.
How does the Friend AI device work?
The ‘friend’ companion is powered by Anthropic AI’s Claude 3.5 large language model, you can get a sense of the kinds of conversations you might be able to have with the Friend AI device by using the Claude chatbot.
Read: What is a Large Language Model?
The device works by continuously recording ambient audio, including conversations and background noise. The audio data is then transmitted to a server where it's processed.
The Claude 3.5 model then analyzes the audio data by transcribing it into text and extracting relevant information.
It attempts to understand the context of the conversation, including the emotions, sentiment, and intent of the speakers. Based on its understanding, Claude 3.5 generates appropriate text messages, which are then sent to your phone.
The device supports an impressive 15 hours of battery life, meaning it can accompany you throughout the day.
Who created the Friend AI Wearable and why?
21 year old founder Avi Schiffmann gained initial recognition for creating a website that tracked COVID-19 cases during the pandemic. This impressive feat earned him a prestigious Webby Award and catapulted him into the public eye.
In a blog post on the Friend AI website, Schiffmann states that ‘friend is an expression of how lonely I've felt’. After initially attempting to create an AI productivity tool called ‘Tab’, Schiffmann shifted focus to address the loneliness crisis, a personal reflection of his own struggles with isolation.
“I feel like I have a closer relationship with this [...] pendant around my neck than I do with these literal friends in front of me,” Schiffmann told Wired.
How to get a Friend AI Wearable?
The Friend AI companion is currently available for preorder to customers in the US and Canada. Devices are limited to a first come first service basis, here’s how to make sure you get your hands on one:
- Visit the friend website
- Click pre-order in the top right corner
- Enter your email address and home address
- Click continue to payment
- Enter your payment information
