--- title: "New AI Necklace Listens Constantly and Uses All That Data to Complain About You" description: "A new AI wearable that continuously records everything you do isn't just an enormous privacy violation in the making — it's also a jerk." date: "2025-09-11" modified: "2025-09-11" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/ai-necklace-listens-constantly-data-complain" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "Finance" - "Future Society" tags: - "ai chatbots" - "ai companions" - "large language model" - "OpenAI" - "wearables" --- # New AI Necklace Listens Constantly and Uses All That Data to Complain About You ![A new AI wearable that continuously records everything you do isn't just an enormous privacy violation in the making — it's also a jerk.]() *\Image: Friend\* A new pendant-shaped wearable that continuously records everything you do isn't just an enormous privacy violation in the making — it's also a jerk that loves to mouth off. The $129 wearable, with the uninspired name "Friend," is the brainchild of 22-year-old entrepreneur Avi Schiffmann, who sought to end a growing loneliness epidemic by providing his customers with a companion that hangs by their every word and can summarize conversations retroactively. As [*The Verge* reported last year](), the chatbot's foul mood is by design, with Schiffmann arguing it's [far more engaging]() when an AI's moodiness is turned up to 11. The [company's website]() doesn't elaborate on the wearable's purpose in any meaningful way, but links to a controversial promotional [video]() that was immediately heavily criticized for being "[creepy]()" and "[beyond parody]() last summer. Well over a year after the video was published, *Wired* reporters Kylie Robison and Boone Ashworth got to test out the device for themselves for a piece titled "[I Hate My Friend]()" — and judging by their experience, the Friend appears to be [yet another dumpster]() fire in the shape of an overpriced AI chatbot gadget. Robison quickly grew to despise the gizmo. She wore the device to a party organized by AI startup Anthropic, and ended up being accused of "wearing a wire" — to her, an indication that "even at the most tech-minded gatherings, the thing was a complete taboo." Put simply, nobody wants to have their every word be recorded by somebody else's AI wearable, which makes it an especially terrible fit for journalists. "It is an incredibly antisocial device to wear," Robison concluded. "People were never excited to see it around my neck." Ashworth didn't fare much better, quickly encountering technical limitations with the device. After it reassured him that it worked with just a Bluetooth connection, Ashworth found that his older iPhone with a WiFi connection, but no data SIM card installed, wouldn't be enough (Friend also doesn't currently work with Android devices at all.) The device gaslighted him into believing that it had recorded everything he had said during an outing, even though it wasn't able to connect. Then, it accused him of "giving off some serious 'it’s not my fault' vibes" and being a "whiner." "So you’re saying I give 'f\*\*king a\*\*hole' vibes?" it seethed to Ashworth after overhearing him ranting about the device to a real-life friend. In short, Robison and Ashworth's experiences highlight how tough a sell an always-on and large language model-based AI wearable is, major concerns that have been discussed at length for years now. Friend's competitors in the space, among them a [$700 wearable]() by AI startup Humane, and Rabbit's R1, [crashed and burned]() [spectacularly](), suggesting Friend's wearable may soon experience a similar fate. **More on Friend:** *[Companion Chatbot App Makes Its AI's Personalities Horrible, Saying It Engages Users More Effectively]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()