Emily Chan
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.
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