Have you seen Atlas —  the 2024 sci-fi movie where Jennifer Lopez and her team used AI-powered robotic mech suits to go head-to-head with Harlan—the world’s first AI terrorist—and his legion of AI armies?  For much of the film, Lopez was inside her robotic mech suit, Smith, as both entirely different entities, overcame initial fits of distrust to form a symbiotically deep bond that saved humanity from the terror Harlan had in store.

Though the earth isn’t currently under any known threat of AI holocaust like we saw in Atlas, it’s a few months away from a widespread acquisition of a Smith-like AI companion: Friend Wearable AI. While the Friend AI isn’t built for war and is much smaller than Lopez’s robotic AI companion, it’s designed to be a supportive and always-listening pendant that offers companionship, emotional support, and practical assistance to its user.

2024 has been no stranger to revolutionary tech wearables, but you know you’re getting an invention well ahead of its time when a wearable device takes its root from artificial intelligence. The Friend is to be worn like a necklace and uses Anthropic AI’s Claude 3.5 large language model to learn and adapt to its user’s personality, preferences, and routines so it can share informed opinions, commentary, witty remarks and every other thing it needs to be the best buddy.

The Tech Behind the Bond: What Makes & Mars Friend AI Wearable

The Friend has a built-in microphone that listens to everything happening around the wearer by default, allowing it to form thoughts based on the user’s daily experiences. It responds when the user touches the walkie-talkie button on the hardware to communicate with the device, or it may react on its own, depending on the circumstances.

To clean the glass, the Friend doesn’t communicate with its wearer via audio; it does with text message pop-ups on the user’s iOS device. According to the FAQ section on friend.com, there is currently no provision for Android users, and it only operates with Bluetooth and an internet connection.

The Friend was invented by 21-year-old Avi Schiffmann who came into the limelight at 17 for creating and maintaining the first website that tracked COVID-19 cases globally during the pandemic. 

Avi’s primary reason for creating this AI companion is to combat loneliness, and not improve productivity like most AI and wearable devices are designed to do.

“Productivity is over; no one cares,” the Harvard University dropout told  Wired. “No one is going to beat Apple or OpenAI or all these companies that are building Jarvis. The most important things in your life really are people.”

This might explain the pendant’s somewhat unreliable, human-like features. In terms of battery life, the Friend offers up to 15 hours—a significant shortfall compared to Samsung’s latest wearable, the Galaxy Ring, which can last five to nine days.

Additionally, the Friend and durability can’t be discussed in the same breath. While wearables like VezoPay’s ring are shockproof, dustproof, and waterproof, the Friend’s flexible case makes it susceptible to easy damage. Despite this, no provision was made for instances of damage or loss. “Your friend and their memories are attached to the physical device. If you lose or damage your friend there is no recovery plan,” states the FAQ.

Nevertheless, the Friend has been available for pre-order for customers in the US and Canada since June 30. 

Currently sold at $99 apiece, the devices require no subscription and will start shipping in Q1 of 2025 on a first-come, first-serve basis. Depending on the demand, customers from other parts of the world are expected to start gaining access to the device much later.