Friend, the lonely AI wearable, returns with a new voice and a much bigger price tag
Friend, the lonely AI wearable, returns with a new voice and a much bigger price tag
“Friend”：这款孤独的 AI 可穿戴设备回归，不仅有了新声音，价格也大幅上涨
Two years ago, tech founder Avi Schiffmann launched Friend, an AI wearable that you could talk to and that would send you text messages about your day. The idea, ostensibly, was to use artificial intelligence to combat loneliness. 两年前，科技创业者 Avi Schiffmann 推出了“Friend”，这是一款你可以与之交谈，并能为你发送日常短信的 AI 可穿戴设备。其初衷表面上是利用人工智能来对抗孤独感。
This week, the company announced a new overhaul of the product, introducing a noticeable upgrade: a voice. “Introducing friend 2.0,” Schiffmann tweeted Thursday. Friend now comes with a built-in speaker that can project a unique and consistent personality to its user. 本周，该公司宣布对该产品进行全面升级，引入了一项显著的改进：语音功能。Schiffmann 周四在推特上写道：“隆重推出 Friend 2.0。”现在的 Friend 内置了扬声器，能够向用户展现出独特且连贯的个性。
A new commercial for the wearable shows a woman wearing a Friend and talking to it about what is presumably her ex-girlfriend. “It’s not bad to be gay,” the necklace tells her. The video then switches to a man standing on a hillside discussing his filmmaking ambitions with his Friend. “That last film you made was insane!” the necklace compliments him. 该可穿戴设备的一则新广告展示了一名女性佩戴着 Friend，并向它倾诉关于她前女友的事情。“同性恋没什么不好，”项链对她说。视频随后切换到一名站在山坡上的男子，他正在与他的 Friend 讨论自己的电影制作抱负。“你拍的那部电影简直太棒了！”项链称赞道。
The new retail price for this enhanced version of Friend is $249, which is substantially higher than the $99 price tag it had when it initially launched two years ago. What can you really do with your Friend other than chitchat about your day? That part is still unclear. 这款增强版 Friend 的新零售价为 249 美元，远高于两年前首次发布时的 99 美元。除了闲聊日常琐事，你还能用 Friend 做什么呢？这一点目前尚不清楚。
In another recent post on X, Schiffmann expounded upon what he felt the whole point of his weird product actually is. “I am interested in this kind of relationship in attempting to offer, some kind of confidant, friend, God, not really sure what it is,” Schiffmann said. “But it is not an assistant, and it is not a lover.” 在 X 平台上的另一篇近期帖子中，Schiffmann 阐述了他认为这款奇特产品的核心意义所在。“我对这种试图提供某种知己、朋友、上帝般的关系很感兴趣，虽然我不确定它到底是什么，”Schiffmann 说，“但它不是助手，也不是恋人。”
Interesting! Selling a plastic, algorithm-based necklace to people by insinuating it might, in fact, be a deity, is pretty bold marketing. Of course, Schiffmann’s company has engaged in bold marketing before. Friend’s billboard campaign in the New York City subway system last year went viral after they were continually defaced, presumably by people who didn’t want human connection to be replaced by a digitized amulet. 有趣！通过暗示这款基于算法的塑料项链可能实际上是某种神灵来向人们推销，这确实是一种大胆的营销手段。当然，Schiffmann 的公司以前也进行过大胆的营销。去年，Friend 在纽约地铁系统的广告牌活动在遭到持续涂鸦后走红，涂鸦者大概是不希望人与人之间的联系被数字护身符所取代。
Most AI wearables have failed to catch on with the mainstream — at least so far. The offering most similar to Friend was Humane Inc., which sought to replace the iPhone with its AI pin but had to shut down its business in less than a year after poor sales. 大多数 AI 可穿戴设备至今未能进入主流市场。与 Friend 最相似的产品是 Humane Inc.，该公司曾试图用其 AI 胸针取代 iPhone，但在销售惨淡不到一年后就不得不关门大吉。