A US start-up, Friend, with its AI-powered wearable necklace that gives us an AI conversation partner, is revolutionizing AI hardware. Friend’s CEO Avi Schiffmann was previously well-known for his live coronavirus dashboard tracker website that had more than 30 million visitors each day.
The gadget, dubbed ‘Friend,’ is worn around the neck and designed to be a constant listener and companion in an effort to reduce loneliness. Unlike other AI gadgets geared toward productivity or health tracking, Friend’s primary mission is to offer companionship.
While constantly listening, the AI generates its own internal thoughts, provides in-app responses similar to texts, and sends notifications to the paired phone via Bluetooth and internet connection. It may, for example, wish you good luck before an interview.
The gadget isn’t intended to be a therapist or a work assistant; it’s just meant to be an AI conversation buddy. The idea behind its design is that wearing the device around one’s neck makes talking to an AI companion easier than using a smartphone app.
This innovative device is believed to redefine emotional companionship in the realm of AI. Humane’s AI Pin and other projects have tried to incorporate AI in a way that resembles physical companionship, but their attempts have not lived up to expectations.
