Subway riders have noticed an influx of ads pertaining to a new start-up, Friend.com, covering a large majority of stations across the five boroughs. The ads belong to Friend, an AI software company that sells necklaces with embedded microphones.

The purpose of the device is to listen in on conversations that train their software to become a personalized “friend” for their consumers. These ads make questionable claims about AI’s role in society, justifying the public’s backlash towards the company. 

Avi Schiffmann, founder of the start-up, created Friend to promote a “new” channel of companionship for humans, like that of a pet or a friend, hence the name.

“We have a cat and a dog and a child and an adult in the same room,” he said.

He then questioned why AI cannot be included in the roundup. He emphasized that all relationships can coexist with one another and in an era of productivity, one should focus on the most important things in life, which are the people. 

His word choice is interesting, considering he says that human connection is most important, yet chose to spend a million dollars on an ad campaign imploring people to explore a connection with artificial intelligence.

Of course, it’s to be understood that he is saying that the most important things in a human’s life are the connections one has with others and that connection should be explored between human and AI, but the lack of definition in his words is noteworthy. 

As artificial intelligence becomes more mainstream, its environmental impact has become more apparent. AI servers are stored in data centers, producing electronic waste and using an inordinate amount of water. Many New Yorkers, aware of these downsides, vandalized the ads by writing “AI is burning the world around you.” 

People felt that the ad campaign was misleading as they interpreted it as Schiffmann trying to replace humans with AI. The ads were littered with cheeky phrases that poked fun at the inconveniences between humans and joked that the AI would never treat them that way. This prompted responses that invited people to befriend a senior citizen or volunteer in a community garden to seek real connections.  

While this is not to promote vandalism, the outrage towards Schiffmann seems reasonable given the nature of his ads and ideology. The campaign, as mentioned before, left many feeling uncomfortable and promoted something too new to be utilized in such a manner.

Throughout the writing process, it became apparent that Schiffmann was experimenting and the creation of this company was for his amusement. There is no clear direction for the future and even in his description, there is no clarity or distinction of what he wants.

He was quoted as saying that this is an “expression of his early twenties”, showing that the brand cannot be taken seriously at this time. 

It’s worth noting that Schiffmann acknowledged several issues with the product and the company. First, he admitted that the company is in a tight spot financially, so its future is uncertain.

Furthermore, the embedded microphone and promise to always be listening raise questions about security and safety. The legalities of the product are strange to say the least.

Having AI constantly monitor conversations infringes on wiretapping and privacy laws. It also becomes an issue in states with two-party consent laws. 

When addressing this, he stated that one day the company will probably be sued. “It’ll be really cool to see.” What would be actually cool to see is the direction of the company within the next couple of years.

Subway riders have noticed an influx of ads pertaining to a new start-up, Friend.com, covering a large majority of stations across the five boroughs. 

The ads belong to Friend, an artificial intelligence software company that sells necklaces with embedded microphones. The purpose of the device is to listen in on conversations that train its software to become a personalized “friend” for its consumers. These ads make questionable claims about AI’s role in society, justifying the public’s backlash toward the company. 

Avi Schiffmann, founder of the start-up, created Friend to promote a “new” channel of companionship for humans, like that of a pet or a friend, hence the name. “We have a cat and a dog and a child and an adult in the same room,” he said. He then questioned why AI cannot be included in the roundup. 

He emphasized that all relationships can coexist with one another and in an era of productivity, one should focus on the most important things in life, which are the people. 

His word choice is interesting, considering he says that human connection is most important, yet chose to spend a million dollars on an ad campaign imploring people to explore a connection with AI. He says that the most important things in a human’s life are the connections one has with others and the connection between human and AI should be explored. But the lack of definition in his words is noteworthy. 

As AI becomes more mainstream, its environmental impact has become more apparent. AI servers are stored in data centers, producing electronic waste and using an inordinate amount of water. Many New Yorkers, aware of these downsides, vandalized the ads by writing “AI is burning the world around you.” 

People felt that the ad campaign was misleading as they interpreted it as Schiffmann trying to replace humans with AI. The ads were littered with cheeky phrases that poked fun at the inconveniences between humans and joked that the AI would never treat them that way. This prompted responses that invited people to befriend a senior citizen or volunteer in a community garden to seek real connections.  

While this is not to promote vandalism, the outrage toward Schiffmann seems reasonable given the nature of his ads and ideology. 

The campaign, as mentioned before, left many feeling uncomfortable and promoted something too new to be utilized in such a manner.

Throughout the writing process, it became apparent that Schiffmann was experimenting and the creation of this company was for his amusement. There is no clear direction for the future and even in his description, there is no clarity or distinction of what he wants. He was quoted as saying that this is an “expression of his early twenties,” showing that the brand cannot be taken seriously at this time. 

It’s worth noting that Schiffmann acknowledged several issues with the product and the company. First, he admitted that the company is in a tight spot financially, so its future is uncertain. 

Furthermore, the embedded microphone and promise to always be listening raises questions about security and safety. The legalities of the product are strange to say the least. Having AI constantly monitor conversations infringes on wiretapping and privacy laws. It also becomes an issue in states with two-party consent laws. 

When addressing this, he stated that one day the company will probably be sued. “It’ll be really cool to see,” Schiffmann told Fortune.