That AI wearable you don't like just got worse

Friend, the startup and AI pendant better known for its controversial ad campaign than being a usable product, is back. The company has announced a new version of its AI wearable that costs $249, still features an always-on microphone and now includes a built-in speaker so it can verbally respond to your questions.

While a speaker should make Friend more human-like, the basic premise of the device is the same as the original. Friend is a "wearable companion," according to the company's website, that's designed to talk with you using its own randomized personality and voice. That used to only be delivered via push notifications sent by the pendant's companion app, but can now come straight from the large circular puck itself. If it sounds strange or awkward to have an intimate conversation with an AI, that's because it often is, as exemplified by Friend's own launch video.

There's ample evidence that relying on AI for emotional support can be dangerous. But creating controversy with Friend is apparently intentional, according to a Wired report on the pendant's relaunch. "Reality is so over; everything is ironic now," Avi Schiffmann, Friend's founder, says. After Friend's initial advertising campaign generated a negative response, Schiffmann deliberately leaned into the hate. Doubling down on the AI pendant now could be an attempt to drum up more.

Separate from whether it's healthy to use AI like this or whether it's an invasion of privacy, Friend is a lot more expensive than it was before. The original device cost $129. While the new $249 pendant features a speaker and updated AI models to formulate responses, Wired writes that a $10 per month subscription is now required for Friend to have a memory longer than 30 days. An AI pendant for nearly double the price and a monthly fee seems like a hard sell, but an AI friend that forgets you every 30 days might be worse.