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friend.com: in the Paris metro, this AI friend worthy of Black Mirror is causing a stir

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The Editor

Rémy @amoursansucre/X

Say goodbye to Chat GPT and hello to Friend! This necklace, powered by artificial intelligence, aims to become your new buddy. It's a tech novelty that's making waves with posters plastered all over the Paris metro, and it's getting a lot of reactions! 

We talked about it in August 2024: back then, we discovered the concept of Friend, this artificial intelligence in the form of a necklace, created by the startup of the same name. If, two years ago, the idea seemed as whimsical as it was distant, it now appears to be becoming much more concrete than we had imagined, as the Paris metro is covered with mysterious advertisements for this equally obscure object. 

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Une publication partagée par friend (@friend_necklace)


A friend who listens to everything?

Friend, it's supposed to be a white circular necklace, Bluetooth connected to your smartphone. But more than just a piece of jewelry, this medallion boasts of being a “friend [...] always listening and forming its own inner thoughts” . It’s a bit scary, we agree. In fact, it would be possible to chat with this “friend” and ask it questions to which it would respond in writing on your phone. The idea behind this project was to provide an answer to “the loneliness felt” by its creator, Avi Schiffmann. Yes, but.


Parisians Rejected by This Object

If this famous necklace was launched in July 2024, it now has an advertising campaign in the capital. “I will never leave dishes in the sink,” “I will always be up for a coffee with you anywhere in Paris,” can be seen on these white posters plastered in many stations. These ads did not take long to make netizens react, both puzzled by the object and the marketing around it. They raised the resemblance to an episode of the Black Mirror series.

The object raises numerous ethical questions, especially regarding privacy. While Avi Schiffmann claims that the data is encrypted, the pendant remains quite vague when it comes to confidentiality and intimacy. It also raises concerns about the risk of addiction and social isolation, as it attempts to replace human relationships with a connection to an artificial intelligence. The pendant, priced at 113.49 €, does not seem to have universal approval—and honestly, that reassures us a bit.