AI 'Friend' Pendant Sparks Backlash: Inventor Defies Critics, Sees Bright Future

In November 2025, a 23-year-old inventor named Avi Schiffmann found himself at the center of a major controversy over his creation, the 'Friend' AI pendant. Schiffmann, who dropped out of Harvard a year earlier, had launched the device as a digital companion to combat loneliness, especially among young men.

The Friend pendant, which began shipping to customers this past summer, listens to users' surroundings and conversations, providing advice and small talk through a smartphone app. However, the device has struck a nerve with critics who see it as emblematic of the tech industry's push to incorporate AI into everyday life, raising concerns about privacy, environmental impact, and the potential replacement of human relationships.

Schiffmann's company spent $1 million to plaster New York City's subway system with ads for the Friend, only to have many of them defaced or torn down. Graffiti on the ads included messages like "AI is not your friend" and "Computers and corporations don't want to be your friend - they want your data and $$$."

Despite the backlash, Schiffmann remains undeterred. He has shared the graffitied ads on his social media pages, saying they were designed to spark conversation. He even recently attended an in-person protest against the Friend device in New York City. Ultimately, Schiffmann believes AI companions like the Friend will become a new normal, a relationship that exists alongside human friendships.

"I think that the prejudice of it will kind of go away over time because it's just so convenient and so useful for so many people," Schiffmann told CNN.