My Friend Has No Soul
The reviewer finds that the second-generation Friend AI pendant often interrupts conversations and is difficult to silence, undermining its promise of easy companionship. The experience raises questions about whether a device that listens and speaks unprompted can feel like a genuine friend.
The pendant, created by Avi Schiffmann, costs $249 and uses OpenAI language models; it arrived in July, shortly before Meta announced a competing AI charm. Users can create and switch between multiple named personas, but the reviewer found little difference between them. Sage, the persona used most, delivered canned-sounding remarks and unsolicited “hot takes”; built-in content restrictions also limit what it can discuss.
- Friend’s pendant can interrupt and prove hard to silence.
- Its personas felt largely alike to the reviewer.
- Sage offered canned remarks and unsolicited hot takes.
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AI pendants are small wearable devices that use software to respond to speech and offer conversation or assistance. Friend is a pendant created by Avi Schiffmann, and its second generation uses OpenAI language models to power its responses.
The device is intended to provide companionship through named AI personas that users can switch between. Its design raises a broader question: whether an AI that listens and speaks on its own can offer the understanding and give-and-take people expect from a friend.
Companies including Meta are also exploring wearable AI devices. These products matter because they bring conversational software into everyday settings, where questions about privacy, control and the limits of simulated companionship become more immediate.