Creator of Friend AI Pendant Stages ‘Friend Protest’ in NYC
▼ Summary
– Friend AI launched a $1 million subway ad campaign in NYC for its $129 chatbot necklaces, which began shipping this summer despite being founded in 2023.
– The device has received poor reviews for making people uncomfortable and failing to function well as a conversational AI companion.
– A protest occurred where attendees defaced Friend banners with anti-AI messages and destroyed a paper cut-out of the device while chanting slogans like “Get real friends.”
– Founder Avi Schiffmann claimed he did not organize the event but attended after seeing photos, engaging in a serious discussion with protesters and shaking hands afterward.
– Schiffmann posted a signed document promising not to sell Friend.com to Big Tech for surveillance, and noted that negative attention from New Yorkers is preferable to being ignored.
If you’ve spent any time on the New York City subway recently, you’ve likely encountered the ubiquitous advertisements for the Friend AI pendant. These ads have sparked everything from puzzled glances to creative graffiti, making the device a topic of conversation across the city. Launched just last year, Friend began shipping its $129 chatbot-enabled necklaces this summer, following a massive marketing push. The company reportedly invested over a million dollars in its subway ad campaign, a figure rivaling what it paid for its premium domain name. Early reviews, however, suggest the product often falls short of its promises. The pendant is designed to listen to daily conversations and offer witty feedback, but users frequently report it causes discomfort and fails to function reliably.
The ad blitz reached a surreal peak recently with what appeared to be a public protest against the device. This occurred on the same weekend as global political demonstrations, adding an odd cultural footnote. Friend founder Avi Schiffmann shared images of a flyer taped up around the city that directly addressed the public sentiment. The flyer featured a picture of the pendant and read, “I heard you new yorkers got beef with me. Let’s hash this out once and for-all, before we go bankrupt.” It included a meeting time and location, with a handwritten addendum encouraging people to “bring your markers.”
Evidence from social media confirms the gathering did happen. Photos and videos show attendees using markers to deface a large Friend banner, with one person scrawling “Fuck AI” across it. A chalk drawing depicted the pendant with a sad face, while others were seen playing basketball with a paper cut-out of the device. When questioned about whether the event was a publicity stunt orchestrated by the company, Schiffmann denied any involvement in its planning. He explained that he flew to New York on a red-eye flight after people sent him photos of the flyers, wanting to see the event for himself.
“I was up on the soapbox speaking to the crowd and later that night found them at the park and we all sat in a big circle and talked,” Schiffmann stated. “They were all very serious. I found it to be a productive conversation and we all shook hands at the end. It was a real protest for sure.” He further shared a photo of himself signing a handwritten document that pledged he “will not sell friend.com” to major technology executives for “surveillance purposes.”
The protest’s tone was captured in another video where the crowd chanted “Get real friends” as people tore apart the paper cut-out of the pendant. Once it was shredded, attendees yelled, “Get that shit out of here,” and repeated the “Fuck AI” sentiment. The entire episode underscores a clear message: New Yorkers have little patience for aggressive advertising, particularly for a product that suggests artificial intelligence can substitute for genuine human connection. For the CEO of Friend, this kind of intense public reaction, even if negative, seems preferable to being ignored entirely.
(Source: The Verge)
