This week, I watched the launch trailer for friend – yes, the lower-case is correct here – the latest screenless wearable designed to be interacted with using a microphone and generative AI. The design is simple: you press the button to activate your friend’s microphone, speak your mind, and the friend will use its onboard AI to think up something appropriate to say, sending it to your phone in text format.
Instead of Humane’s attempt to replace the best smartwatches and phones with an AI personal assistant to access emails, messages and information, friend solely focuses on a much more niche use case: companionship.
