Friend AI Wearable Returns With Built-In Voice and a Higher Price

Two years after introducing its AI-powered wearable aimed at tackling loneliness, Friend is returning with a redesigned product that now includes a built-in voice and a significantly higher price.

Founder Avi Schiffmann unveiled “Friend 2.0” on Thursday, announcing that the wearable can now speak directly to users through an integrated speaker instead of communicating only through text messages.

The original Friend device was designed as an AI companion that users could talk to throughout the day, with the system responding through text messages intended to provide conversation and companionship.

Friend now speaks with a consistent personality.

According to Schiffmann, the latest version gives Friend a unique and consistent personality delivered through voice interactions.

A promotional video released alongside the announcement shows users having personal conversations with the wearable.

In one scene, a woman discusses what appears to be a former relationship, with the device responding, “It’s not bad to be gay.”

Another scene features a man talking about his ambitions as a filmmaker, prompting Friend to encourage him by saying, “That last film you made was insane!”

The updated hardware carries a retail price of $249, considerably higher than the original device’s $99 launch price two years ago.

Still focused on companionship, not productivity

Beyond conversational interactions, Friend’s broader functionality remains somewhat unclear.

In a recent post on X, Schiffmann explained that the device is intended to occupy a unique role rather than function as a traditional AI assistant.

“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 wrote. “But it is not an assistant, and it is not a lover.”

The comments underscore Friend’s continued focus on emotional companionship rather than productivity or task automation.

AI wearables continue searching for mainstream adoption

Friend has previously attracted attention through unconventional marketing.

Last year, the company’s New York City subway billboard campaign went viral after many of the advertisements were repeatedly vandalised by critics who objected to the idea of replacing human relationships with AI companions.

Despite growing interest in AI devices, dedicated AI wearables have struggled to achieve widespread consumer adoption.

One of the most notable examples was Humane’s AI Pin, which attempted to replace smartphones with an AI-powered wearable but shut down less than a year after launch following weak sales.

With Friend 2.0, Schiffmann is once again betting that consumers are willing to embrace an AI companion designed primarily for conversation—even if it now comes with a much steeper price tag.