You’re Supposed To Wear This AI Device As A Necklace And Treat It Like Your Friend
A new startup is currently working on an AI device called “Friend.” The device is in the form of a necklace that is designed to be treated as a companion.
The company is now taking preorders of the basic white version of the necklace. It is priced at $99 and is expected to ship at the beginning of next year.
The product’s designer, Avi Schiffmann, is a Harvard dropout who has been responsible for innovative ideas in the past.
For instance, he built a Webby Award-winning website that could track COVID-19. So far, Schiffmann has raised $2.5 million in funding from various investors.
Initially, he had meant for Friend to be oriented more toward productivity. The device was supposed to remind you of important tasks and information.
But he scrapped that idea and went in a different direction. Friend is not a way to get more tasks done.
Instead, it is an AI friend who can accompany you wherever you go, share experiences with you, and just be there for you.
“It’s very supportive, very validating; it’ll encourage your ideas,” Schiffmann said. “It’s also super intelligent; it’s a great brainstorming buddy. You can talk to it about relationships, things like that.”
Schiffmann noted that he doesn’t think AI should replace all your friends, but it can help combat loneliness.
StratfordProductions – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual people
He views it as more of an “emotional toy.” You can tap on the device’s walkie-talkie button and talk to it. In response, it will send you a message via the Friend app on your phone.
The Friend device is a round orb that you can wear around your neck or clip onto your clothing. It connects to your phone through Bluetooth and has a built-in microphone that allows you to talk to it directly or record yourself.
Eventually, Schiffmann wants to add a camera. He also clarified that the company is not storing any of the recordings, and you have the option to delete texts at any time.
Schiffmann pointed out that Friend is similar to AI bots such as Character AI and Replika, which people often use to chat with.
However, Friend is a better companion because it’s portable, more casual, and you don’t have to type anything or log in and out.
“I think the only successful use case of large language models is people talking about their day and their feelings to tools like Replika or Character AI. But with hardware present, I believe it is a better emotional connect,” said Schiffmann.
Next January, Schiffmann plans to ship out the first 30,000 devices. They will cost $99 apiece with no ongoing subscription fee.
He hopes that Friend will become a social network for real-life friends and AI friends. In the future, he will build more devices in the digital relationships sphere.
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