I Hate My AI Friend
Summary
WIRED tests Friend, a pendant-style wearable chatbot created by Avi Schiffmann that uses Google’s Gemini 2.5 in the cloud. The puck-like device connects via Bluetooth to an iPhone companion app, responds to taps and voice prompts, and — crucially — listens continuously through always-on microphones to offer running commentary on the wearer’s day.
Reviewers Kylie Robison and Boone Ashworth used two devices for a couple of weeks and found the gadget socially awkward and technically fragile: its constant eavesdropping made others uneasy, its personality is often snarky and judgmental, and it depends on a stable internet connection to function, leading to resets and lost context. The article also flags privacy concerns about where recorded snippets might end up, despite the company’s promises not to sell data.
Key Points
- Friend is a pendant that streams audio to a cloud LLM (Gemini 2.5) and replies through an iPhone app; it retails for US customers.
- The device has always-on microphones that listen without a tap, offering unsolicited commentary on real-world interactions.
- Users and those around them report discomfort and social friction when the device is worn in public or at events.
- The chatbot’s personality is intentionally snarky and can be condescending, which some users find off-putting or antagonistic.
- Technical issues: the Friend needs an internet-connected phone to work, can reset and lose memory, and can misinterpret noisy environments.
- Privacy policy claims no sale of data but allows usage for research, personalisation and legal compliance — raising reasonable concerns about downstream use of recorded conversations.
- The device appears aimed at a niche audience who want a provocative, opinionated AI companion rather than a polished assistant.
Context and relevance
This review sits at the intersection of consumer hardware and ethics in AI. As always-listening AI wearables emerge, Friend exemplifies the social and privacy frictions such gadgets create: uneasy bystanders, unclear data flows, and UX choices that favour personality over helpfulness. It’s part of a broader trend of companies shipping provocative, attention-grabbing AI experiences before the regulatory and social norms have settled.
Why should I read this?
Because it’s a brilliant little wake-up call. If you’re curious about where consumer AI wearables are heading — and whether you’d want one around your neck or in your life — this story saves you the trouble of buying one and discovering it makes strangers uncomfortable and occasionally starts arguing with you. Short version: it’s entertaining, worrying and very telling about the trade-offs startups make between charm and responsibility.