In an age where technology often drives us apart as much as it connects us, an innovative solution does the opposite and has emerged to combat loneliness: a $99 AI-powered Necklace from Friend.com. This remarkable wearable technology is designed to provide companionship and emotional support to those who feel isolated, providing a unique 'friend' to those battling loneliness.
Leveraging the power of artificial intelligence, this necklace offers a unique and personal way to bridge the gap between solitude and social connection. And despite speculation about its launch, this AI-powered necklace is now available to offer a one-of-a-kind purpose.
The gadget, a circular button attached to a lanyard, is intended to alleviate users' feelings of loneliness. For just $99, users can initiate a conversation with their "friend" by pressing the button.
Details about the device are currently scarce. The company website offers a product page and a single blog post authored by its creator, Avi Schiffmann. The 21-year-old behind friend.com rose to prominence in 2020 by creating a live COVID-19 tracker.
His subsequent online project, Ukraine Take Shelter, aimed to assist refugees by connecting them with potential housing and reportedly aided over 100,000 individuals. Since then, Schiffmann has left college and is currently focused on launching Friend. Unlike other AI wearables, Avi's focus is not on productivity.
"Friend is not built to make you more productive or help you remember things. It is solely a conversational friend that you share experiences with." As an example, Schiffmann shared screenshots demonstrating Friend's ability to respond to his performance after his interview with The Verge.
Tab: The Original Friend
Schiffmann initially unveiled Friend as "Tab" in October 2023. The Harvard Crimson featured a profile of Schiffmann, highlighting that Tab had already generated over $100,000 in sales. The initial release of Tab consisted of 100 units, followed by a subsequent batch.
During the interview, Schiffmann was sporting what he called "Tab." This device was a circular black object equipped with a button. Schiffmann described it as an AI-powered "life coach."
Most companies developing AI products opt to leverage existing language models rather than building their own from scratch. These so-called "wrapper" startups construct their applications on top of established platforms like OpenAI's ChatGPT or Meta's Llama frameworks.
Friend is powered by a combination of Anthropic's Claude 3.5 and Meta's Llama 3 language models. As Schiffmann explained to Dexerto, "We'll always use whatever the best models are or train our own. For now, it's a mix of Anthropic[ Claude 3.5] and Meta Llama 3."
Friend is powered by Claude 3.5, one of the industry's leading language models. Renowned for its performance, Claude 3.5 has consistently outperformed OpenAI's ChatGPT 4-0. Meta's Llama 3, another high-quality model, also contributes to Friend's capabilities.
While competitors focus on voice-activated assistants, Friend exclusively communicates through text. Operating in a constant listening mode, Friend gathers information and generates text-based responses upon activation.
Friend operates in a constant listening mode, gathering information for later use. When activated, the AI generates a response based on collected data, presented through a notification or within the app's chat window.
Demonstration videos showcased Friend's continuous background activity, utilising push notifications to maintain ongoing conversations. Dexerto inquired about the absence of voice output, and Schiffmann swiftly dismissed the query.
"Voice [output] is stupid. Reading a text is much faster and more private. [It's] more immersive because it will always work, unlike glitchy voices," he says. For instance, Humane's AI Pin garnered significant attention for its inability to pronounce "Beyoncé" accurately due to accent-related challenges.
Schiffmann clarifies that Friend is not designed to enhance productivity. He emphasises that the pendant's primary function is to simplify and streamline initiating conversations with the AI companion.
How Secure Will Friend Be?
Friend will be exclusively available on iOS devices, a platform with a history of security vulnerabilities. Given the iPhone's immense popularity, it remains a prime target for cyberattacks. Adding to these concerns, the recently announced iOS 18 update has sparked controversy.
A new banking-centric feature in iOS 18 allows users to hide or lock apps on the iPhone home screen. While intended to enhance privacy, this feature has raised concerns about its potential misuse. There are fears that it could facilitate easier concealment of dating apps by individuals engaging in dishonest behaviour.
Another emerging feature could bypass built-in security measures like Face ID. In June, Apple unveiled a new macOS capability that enables iPhone mirroring on Mac devices. This functionality raises concerns about the potential circumvention of security protocols.
This functionality replaces robust security options like Face ID with potentially less secure methods such as passwords and Touch ID, which are susceptible to compromise. Considering Friend stores data within the app, this reliance on weaker security measures could expose users to increased vulnerabilities.
A June 12 episode of the Risky Business podcast hosted by cybersecurity journalist Patrick Gray expressed grave concerns about the potential security implications of Apple's new features. Gray described the situation as "horrifying," highlighting the potential for circumventing onboard security measures in privacy-focused apps.
Co-host Adam Boileau said, "For a few of us who rely on, say, Signal on iPhone, because of the very strong hardware security guarantees..."
"The idea that your desktop running, you know, electron apps can just reach into your phone and use your Signal is a little..."
Gray responded: "No, I mean, it's horrifying, right? Like I think I said to you, this is the most awesome feature that I want nowhere near me."
Schiffmann is a strong advocate for the significance of conversational interaction. Although devices like the Rabbit R1 function as Android-based apps requiring users to engage through their phone screens, Schiffmann aims to shift focus away from this approach.
"Because then you could only talk to your friend in an app. It turns the activity into solely just chatting. With Friend, it's always listening. You can talk to it whenever; you don't have to be focused on an app."
It's crucial to acknowledge that these AI models are not infallible. Despite their impressive capabilities, instances of inaccuracies can arise. For example, in June, ChatGPT mistakenly accused Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University, of sexual harassment against a student.
Now while the exact release date for Friend remains shrouded in mystery, the potential of this AI companion is undeniably intriguing. At $99, early adopters can already secure their place in line via their website.
