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Science & Tech
Creator of 'Creepy' AI Friend Necklace Says It's 'Like God'
Fortune / VideoElephant
An AI startup has launched a wearable dubbed online as an 'AI bestie', sparking debate about how technology is shaping human connection.
The device, named Friend, takes the form of a small, disc-shaped necklace, designed with a minimalist, techy aesthetic.
Retailing at $129 (roughly £95), it constantly monitors conversations, noting interactions and offering its own observations on daily life.
Users can activate it with a tap, triggering responses through a companion app, which are then delivered as either voice messages or text.
- YouTube www.youtube.com
Over in New York, people are quite literally leaving their mark, scribbling messages on billboards appearing around the city’s subway stations.
In a conversation with Adweek, the company’s CEO, Avi Schiffmann, said the ad placement was intentional.
"I know people in New York hate AI, and things like AI companionship and wearables, probably more than anywhere else in the country," he shared. "So I bought more ads than anyone has ever done with a lot of white space so that they would socially comment on the topic."
Over on Instagram, one compared the 'Friend' teaser to an episode of Black Mirror, as another quipped: "We’re literally living in 1984 (the book, not the year, unfortunately)."
A third asked: "Can we go back to using AI for identifying cancer cells or making dangerous jobs safer instead of this fresh hell?"
"Friends don’t let friends use friend AI," another shared.
Meanwhile, someone simply called the wearable "so dystopian," adding: "As others have pointed out, this isn’t going to teach real friendship skills.
"AI ‘friendships’ are all about the user's needs and preferences, whereas real friendships are about two-way care and support.
"This isn’t going to help people; it’s going to reinforce introspection and selfishness, which will stop people from making real friendships."
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