Vandals Target AI Necklace Ads That Record Your Conversations
▼ Summary
– A vandal defaced a New York subway ad for the AI pendant Friend, writing “AI doesn’t care” and “Human connection is sacred” to criticize the device’s companionship claims.
– The vandalism is part of a large online archive of defaced ads, with many New Yorkers expressing anger over marketing that the AI friend would never abandon users.
– Critics targeted the $129 pendant for potential spying, with vandals writing it would “steal your info, steal your data, steal your identity” and calling it “AI surveillance slop.”
– Some vandals used the ads to voice broader political complaints about AI, such as data centers harming communities and tech companies like Palantir using AI for surveillance.
– The Friend campaign, launched by founder Avi Schiffmann with a sub-$1 million MTA ad takeover, became highly discussed and has expanded to Los Angeles and Chicago after starting in New York.
A wave of targeted vandalism has struck promotional materials for an artificial intelligence necklace across New York City’s subway system, reflecting widespread public unease over privacy and the role of AI in daily life. Graffiti messages left on ads for the wearable device, named Friend, reveal deep skepticism about its function, recording user conversations to offer companionship through continuous listening and response.
One defaced poster bore the handwritten warning, “AI doesn’t care,” directly challenging the product’s promise of providing a supportive, ever-present companion. Nearby, another message declared, “Human connection is sacred,” adding pointedly, “AI is not your friend.” These acts of protest have been compiled into a substantial online collection, documenting public backlash against a marketing campaign that promoted the AI as a reliable partner who “never bails on dinner” or leaves you to ride the subway alone.
Additional scrawled critiques took aim at the broader implications of such technology. “Friends don’t let friends sell their souls,” read one message, while others connected the pendant, priced at $129 and slated for sale at Walmart, to wider political grievances. On an advertisement boasting that an AI friend would “never leave dirty dishes in the sink,” a vandal referenced environmental concerns, accusing AI data centers such as xAI of “poisoning black communities.” Another urged subway riders to resist sharing personal data, stating that “freely giving your info to Big Tech won’t heal your wounds,” and called for opposition to Palantir, a firm known for employing AI in surveillance and military targeting.
Much of the criticism compiled in the archive centers on fears that the pendant could enable spying on its users. Describing the product as “AI surveillance slop,” one critic captured a recurring theme. Another altered an ad pledging, “I’ll binge the entire series with you,” to read, “I’ll steal your info, steal your data, steal your identity.”
Over the last six weeks, the Friend advertising initiative has become one of the most discussed subway marketing campaigns in recent memory, according to reports. Avi Schiffmann, the 22 year old founder of Friend, invested under one million dollars to saturate MTA subway cars with promotional materials, a strategy intended to generate maximum visibility. Since launching in New York, the campaign has extended to Los Angeles, with Chicago next in line. Schiffmann confirmed that the MTA’s subway network was deliberately chosen first to amplify hype, noting, “Only the MTA allows you to buy a full takeover like that. It almost feels illegal.”
(Source: Ars Technica)
