Introducing Friend: The AI Companion You Can Wear
In the world of AI hardware startups, success has been a mixed bag. Rabbit and Humane, for example, released devices that failed to meet expectations. However, Limitless, backed by a16z, and Bee AI, backed by Exor, are forging ahead with their own screenless AI wearables. Now, Harvard dropout Avi Schiffmann, known for his Webby Award-winning website tracking COVID-19, is entering the ring with his own creation: Friend, an AI device designed to be treated as a companion.
Schiffmann has already secured $2.5 million in funding at a valuation of $50 million from notable investors such as Raymond Tonsing of Caffeinated Capital, Cory Levy, founder of ZFellows, Aravind Srinivas, CEO of Perplexity, Anatoly Yakovenko and Raj Gokal, founders of Solana, Austin Rief, CEO and co-founder of Morning Brew, Jordan Singer, an AI specialist at Figma, and Logan Kilpatrick, a senior product manager at Google.
Pre-orders for Friend’s basic white version, priced at $99, will begin soon and are expected to ship in January 2025.
So, what exactly is Friend? Unlike other AI wearables that focus on productivity, Friend is a thin layer that connects to your phone via Bluetooth and listens to you, aiming to combat loneliness. With the walkie-talkie button on the hardware, you can tap and talk to the device. It will respond to you in-app, much like a text message. Additionally, since Friend is always listening, it can proactively send you messages. For example, it might wish you good luck before an interview.
Schiffmann believes that having a physical device like Friend around your neck makes it easier to connect with an AI companion compared to just using an app. He views the product as an emotional toy, explaining that the most successful use case for large language models is when people talk about their day and feelings to tools like Replika or Character AI. With the presence of hardware, there is a stronger emotional connection.
However, it’s important to note that Friend is not designed to be a therapist or a productivity tool. It is simply an AI friend you can talk to, and Schiffmann believes that constant companionship is one of AI’s killer use cases.
Interestingly, addressing loneliness wasn’t Schiffmann’s initial goal. He originally set out to create a $600 pendant called Tab, which would help track people and transcribe meetings. He received around $100,000 in pre-orders for Tab. However, he made a pivot earlier this year, offering Tab pre-order customers the option to switch to Friend or receive a refund.
To address concerns about privacy, Schiffmann emphasizes that Friend is always listening but not storing any recordings. Users can also choose to delete texts at any time, giving them control over their data.
With Friend, Schiffmann is tapping into the growing need for companionship and emotional support, leveraging AI technology to provide users with a listening ear and friendly messages. As AI wearables continue to evolve, it will be interesting to see how they shape the way we interact with technology and each other.
