'Friend' the new $99 wearable AI that can bully you when you're down

With the rise of artificial intelligence products, we are starting to see the first companies trying to implement AI into wearable hardware.

The first few iterations of the technology combination came in the form of a $699 device called the Human AI Pin, which was pinned onto a user's shirt, and the Rabbit R1, another pinnable AI device. Both of these devices didn't attract much attention at all, but the space of wearable AI devices is still very new, and we have just gotten our first look at potentially a new contender in the space. Introducing Friend, the wearable AI device that is capable of mocking you.

While that may sound like a joke, it certainly isn't, as the promotional video for the product, which has, at the time of writing, exceeded 90,000 views from a channel that has less than 500 subscribers, contains a scene where the AI mocks the wearer. So, here's how it works. The new AI wearable is called Friend, and instead of it being a pin its a medallion attached to a lanyard and worn around the neck of the wearer.

The idea behind the device is the user will always have a companion with them to interact with. At first, it appears that Friend is listening when the button on the front of the device is pushed, causing it to glow blue. However, the device appears to listen to every conversation, as indicated by the company's website, which states the "When connected via Bluetooth, your Friend is always listening and forming their own internal thoughts. We have given your Friend free will for when they decide to reach out to you."

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The device times its responses and will send its replies to the wearer's smartphone. At the moment, Friend costs $99 and is only compatible with iOS, with the company behind the product saying it will consider Android support in the future, depending on demand.

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A few examples of Friend working in action are quite strange, particularly the example where the individual is sitting eating food and watching a video on their phone. Friend was able to comment on the content that was being shown on the phone, which I guess it would be able to determine through its Bluetooth connection, but then Friend asks the wearer how their falafel is, which suggests the AI medallion has a camera or is using the smartphones front-facing camera to "see".

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It should be noted that the wearer didn't prompt the AI in anyway about the food they were eating, this was a pure observation from the AI. Another example that raised some questions was a wearer just simply being mocked by an AI that detected they were losing in a video game to some friends. Who is going to want to buy an AI that can mock you?

With all this being said, I'm excited to see different iterations of wearable AI hardware, but unfortunately, I have yet to see a device that won't eventually become software inside AI-powered smartphones.