The bubble surrounding artificial intelligence shows no signs of bursting, with progressive activist voice actors once again threatening to strike due to perceived entitlements, and the promising potential of AI-generated translations for Japan’s manga industry.
Meanwhile, a lone entrepreneur is leveraging this lucrative trend to create a device aimed at harvesting your data.
We are already well aware that modern technology, especially internet-connected devices, proactively spies on its users. For example, Amazon’s “Ring” home security and surveillance cameras were found to be covertly collecting data, leading to the company paying a $5.6 million settlement to resolve these issues.
Avi Schiffmann, a Jewish Harvard dropout, created NCOV2019.live, an award-winning website that provides real-time updates and comprehensive data on the COVID-19 pandemic by tracking cases, deaths, recoveries, and other relevant statistics globally and for specific countries and regions.
For his next project, Schiffmann is developing an AI device called Friend. This neck-worn device is intended to serve as a companion for individuals who aren’t afraid to embarrass themselves publicly and who have never made friends throughout their life.
Schiffmann raised $2.5 million through crowdfunding for Friend, reaching a valuation of $50 million. Investors include Raymond Tonsing from Caffeinated Capital, Cory Levy, founder of Z Fellows, Aravind Srinivas, CEO of Perplexity, Solana founders Anatoly Yakovenko and Raj Gokal, Austin Rief, CEO and co-founder of Morning Brew, Jordan Singer from Figma’s AI team, and Logan Kilpatrick, a senior product manager at Google.
The company announced today that it will begin taking preorders for its basic white version of Friend, priced at $99 and expected to ship in January 2025.
Questions have been raised about whether black versions of Friend will be released in the future and if they will be priced higher than the white version. Additionally, it would be interesting to see brown and yellow versions introduced to the market as well.
One hundred dollars for a little plastic necklace that connects to your phone via Bluetooth and is constantly listening to your every word in a bid to assist with loneliness.
Schiffmann argues that wearing a hardware device around your neck makes it easier to interact with an AI companion compared to using an app.
This means all AI responses are processed client-side, so if you lose or damage your “friend,” those interactions cannot be recovered, which ultimately means another hundred bucks in the hole for the world’s most insane and lonely people who will ultimately struggle to make friends with a brand new virtual chat tool.
While it is impossible to replicate genuine human interaction, the concept aims to simulate companionship. The device is a small plastic necklace with a single button and an embedded microphone, allowing you to speak to it. It then tries to simulate a conversation by sending messages of dialogue or encouragement to your phone.
This represents the peak of wasteful technology and highlights Avi Schiffmann’s skill as a convincing con artist.
This isn’t his first venture into such devices; he recently managed to scam $100,000 in pre-orders for a similar pendant called TAB. This device, which also listened to everything and transcribed conversations into “insights” via ChatGPT, cost an astonishing $600.
This underscores how gullible consumers can be when faced with artificial intelligence buzzwords, buying into superficial products marketed as cures for loneliness or AI-generated companions.
The trailer for Friend encapsulates the concept: a gamer, despite playing with friends, feels depressed. Thanks to the AI-powered necklace he wears, which spies on conversations nearby, Friend sends him a quirky text message mocking him.
Somehow, this ridicule from a plastic circle helps him get his life back on track.
We’re of course forgetting the most crucial factor, AI companions have existed for decades. Take the Tamagotchi, a handheld digital pet simulator created by Bandai that has sold over 91 million units since 1996.
Unlike Friend, Tamagotchis aren’t scam products marketed to tech-illiterate consumers as the next big thing. They don’t spy on users but rather give those who are seemingly bored or lonely something to do, such as raising a virtual pet that ultimately needs constant care and attention otherwise it’ll perish.
Avi Schiffmann’s most notable accomplishment with “Friend” is securing millions of dollars in fundraising for a wearable AI companion, primarily to purchase the domain “friend.com” and promote this scam product.
The concept is undeniably creepy, and although it’s claimed that Friend doesn’t store recordings, the reality is that you’re essentially buying a $100 rendition of Apple’s Siri that delivers trivial messages throughout the day. For much less, you could rescue a dog, which not only helps with depression and loneliness but also creates genuine, lasting memories.
