Friend, the lonely AI wearable, returns with a new voice and a much bigger price tag
The AI wearable 'Friend' has been updated with a voice feature and a significant price increase to $249. Founder Avi Schiffmann positions the device as a unique, non-assistant companion, though its practical utility remains debated.
Why it matters
It highlights the ongoing struggle of AI hardware startups to find product-market fit and the ethical questions surrounding AI-human emotional dependency.
Two years ago, tech founder Avi Schiffmann launched Friend , an AI wearable that you could talk to, and that would send you text messages about your day. The idea, ostensibly, was to use artificial intelligence to combat loneliness. This week, the company announced a new overhaul of the product, introducing a noticeable upgrade: a voice.
“Introducing friend 2.0,” Schiffmann tweeted Thursday. Friend now comes with a built-in speaker that can project a unique and consistent personality to its user.
A new commercial for the wearable shows a woman wearing a Friend and talking to it about what is presumably her ex-girlfriend. “It’s not bad to be gay,” the necklace tells her.
The video then switches to a man standing on a hillside discussing his filmmaking ambitions with his Friend. “That last film you made was insane!” the necklace compliments him.
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