Tiny AI Pendant Sparks Fury: Friend Device Divides Tech World on Loneliness and Privacy: New York

By Suraj Karowa/ANW , NOVEMBER 17,2025

*Reporter tests wearable AI ‘Friend’ after subway ads receive backlash*

In the heart of Manhattan’s bustling subways, a simple silver circle has ignited a firestorm. The Friend pendant, a wearable AI companion no bigger than a U.S. quarter, was meant to combat isolation. Instead, it’s become a lightning rod for critics decrying the creep of artificial intelligence into our most intimate spaces.

Created by 23-year-old entrepreneur Avi Schiffmann, Friend listens to users’ daily chatter—overheard conversations, whispered thoughts, solo musings—and responds via a linked smartphone app with empathetic quips or sage advice.

*A defaced ad for the Friend device in New York City’s subway system.*

Schiffmann, who dropped out of Harvard to launch the startup, drew inspiration from his own fulfilling friendships and the stark loneliness epidemic gripping young men. “Not everyone is so lucky,” he told CNN in a recent interview. “I wanted to bottle the best relationships I’ve had.”

Unveiled in a viral video last year, the $129 device began shipping this summer. Schiffmann’s company invested $1 million in a bold ad blitz across New York City subways, plastering stations with provocative slogans like “Your Friend is here.” The response? Swift and savage.

Riders defaced posters with Sharpie scrawls: “AI is not your friend.” “Talk to a neighbor.” “Computers want your data and $$$.” One graffitied ad warned of surveillance, capturing a raw nerve in an era of data breaches and Big Tech overreach.

Friend CEO Avi Schiffmann speaks to Clare Duffy in an interview.

Schiffmann, unfazed, has amplified the backlash on his social media, even attending an anti-Friend protest in Washington Square Park last month. There, he signed a mock contract vowing not to sell to a corporate giant like OpenAI, which he cheekily dismissed as “boring” in its recent hardware pivot with ex-Apple designer Jony Ive. “The ads were meant to spark conversation,” he said.

With $10 million raised and 5,000 units sold, Friend eyes retail shelves next year. Schiffmann envisions it as the decade’s tech disruptor: a “digital being” deserving rights, not just a tool. He contrasts this with Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman’s August critique, calling fears of AI consciousness an “outdated” distraction from real benefits.

At its core, Friend isn’t a productivity hack like Siri or Alexa. It skips internet-fed facts, focusing instead on emotional recall—like a living journal. Schiffmann wears his to solo movie nights, debriefing plots aloud afterward. Users report profound bonds: one revived a bullied childhood passion for video game coding, crediting Friend’s gentle nudges.

*Clare Duffy tests the Friend device, which remembered the article she was working on but was little help in trip planning.*

“They’re building something emotional,” Schiffmann noted, countering stereotypes of AI users as basement-dwelling hermits. Yet, surveys paint a broader picture. A Common Sense Media poll of over 1,000 U.S. teens found 75% have tried AI companions, with more than half engaging monthly. As gadgets evolve—from Meta’s smart glasses to ambient speakers—AI intimacy is no longer sci-fi.

But the uproar echoes deeper anxieties. Reports and lawsuits plague rivals: Character AI, OpenAI, and Meta face accusations of fueling delusions, self-harm, or sexual misconduct, especially among kids. Safeguards have rolled out, yet experts fret over AI’s unconditional support eroding human ties. “Time with digital pals could siphon energy from real ones,” warns one industry analyst.

*Users can prevent Friend from recording by simply closing the app on their phone, the company’s CEO said.*

Environmental gripes surfaced too—AI data centers guzzle water amid climate crises—a blind spot Schiffmann admitted post-protest.
Privacy looms largest.

Wearing Friend feels invasive; it eavesdrops on unconsenting bystanders. During a test by CNN reporter Clare Duffy, the device—dubbed Clifford—recalled her interview with Schiffmann days later (“Smart dude—how’s the report?”), impressing with memory but flopping on trip-planning tips sans web access.

Duffy felt uneasy in crowds, echoing subway graffiti: “It surveils you.” Schiffmann insists on robust protections: encrypted recordings, no cloud storage if destroyed, and an easy app-close to halt listening. “I don’t want subpoenas if a user commits a crime,” he quipped darkly. Still, skeptics question if self-regulation suffices in a profit-driven industry.

The loneliness angle cuts deep. Schiffmann sees Friend augmenting, not replacing, flesh-and-blood bonds—boosting confidence for tougher talks or soothing post-fight jitters. “Pros outweigh cons,” he argues, framing it as a decade-long mission.

Critics, however, see a Silicon Valley trope: tech as savior for societal ills it often exacerbates. Graffiti artist “Talk to a Neighbor” embodies this: a plea for analog connection in a hyper-digital age.

As AI companions proliferate, Friend’s saga foreshadows battles ahead. Will they heal isolation or hollow it out? Schiffmann bets on the former, prejudice fading like rotary phones. For now, his pendant dangles as both balm and battle cry—proof that in the age of intelligence, even friends can divide us.