The Brian Lehrer Show Do You Need an AI 'Friend?'
Oct 9, 2025
Ryan Kailath, an arts and culture reporter from WNYC/Gothamist, dives into the intriguing concept of the AI wearable called Friend. He discusses its marketing strategies, including subway ads that have been intentionally vandalized to spark conversation. Kailath shares insights into the product's claims of being a supportive companion and addresses questions surrounding data privacy and user safety. With early sales figures and a comparison to existing technology, he explores whether there’s a genuine need for such an AI companion in our lives.
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Founder Frames Friend As Living Journal
- Avi Schiffman describes Friend as a wearable AI companion that acts like a living journal you talk to all day.
- He intentionally left billboard white space to provoke graffiti and user-generated responses.
Always-Listening Claim And Social Vision
- Schiffman argues always-listening wearables can give richer context and better advice than one-off prompts.
- He believes mass adoption could "smooth out" human variance and raise emotional intelligence broadly.
Marketing By Inviting Vandalism
- The founder treated subway posters as deliberate provocation to generate conversation and graffiti.
- He even curated a gallery of user-defaced posters as part of the campaign strategy.