New £80 AI ‘Friend’ necklace is designed to combat loneliness, but do psychologists think it will work?
It might remind you of the Tamagotchi from your childhood, but ‘Friend’, an AI-powered necklace that listens to your every word, is designed to help you feel less lonely.
At least that’s what the creators claim, who have already placed pre-orders for their ‘not imaginary’ friend.
The so-called digital companion costs $99 (£77) and is an always-on, wearable chatbot that listens to its owner and then communicates with them via messages and notifications on a paired phone.
A valuable marketing video demonstrating the device has been compared to an episode of the science fiction series “Black Mirror.”
According to social media users, the clip looked more like a “marketing campaign for a dystopian film or the beginning of the collapse of civilization.”
Psychologists are also not convinced that the wearable AI companion will alleviate loneliness. is far from a replacement for ‘human contact’ and users run the risk of ‘catfishing’ themselves into believing they are talking to a real person.
The ‘Friend’ costs $99 (£77) and is essentially a chatbot that communicates via text messages and push notifications on the phone it’s paired with.
Others argue that such a device can isolate people even more, as it is used as a ‘coping strategy’ to avoid real-life social interactions.
Tech entrepreneur and CEO of Friend Avi Schiffmann, 21, said he came up with the idea for a wearable digital companion when he was feeling lonely in Japan and looking for a travel companion.
The device is housed in a round white disk and contains an always-on microphone and a phone connection, allowing users to talk to their ‘friend’ at any time with the push of a button and receive replies from them in the form of text messages.
While the device is designed to help you feel less lonely, Dr Audrey Tang, Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society, says it cannot replace human contact.
Dr. Tang said it is not “healthy” to believe that you have a friend in a chain and that it does not “nourish” you in the same way.
‘Sometimes app developers don’t realise what underlies the mental wellbeing of the person using the app,’ she told MailOnline.
She added: ‘You could have someone who uses it for fun, like a Tamagotchi, but that’s no substitute for a real pet. And in the same way, someone who uses it could get really desperate and think that all they’re entitled to is a necklace that they have to buy.
“If you want to tackle social loneliness, this doesn’t help you meet people and it doesn’t create interaction.”
According to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics, around a quarter (27 percent) of adults in the UK admit to feeling lonely ‘always’ or ‘sometimes’.
In the US, one-third of adults admit to feeling lonely at least once a week.
Loneliness is not just a social problem. If it is severe or long-lasting, it can have serious health consequences.
The NHS warns that loneliness can the risk of conditions such as dementia, but also stress, anxiety, gloom or depression.
Dr. Tang also claims that talking to a bot can increase feelings of loneliness, especially if someone has low self-esteem.
“If someone is socially lonely, they may already have this idea that they are not lovable. So if you have to buy yourself a necklace, it can only play on that insecurity,” she said.
She explains that talking to a bot is like fooling yourself into believing it is a real person.
“You know it’s not a real person and the conversations you have with a bot are not the same as the conversations you have in real life,” she added.
The AI, which can send text messages, cannot pick up on social nuances such as facial expressions and body language or provide touch like a human can, psychologists argue
It includes an always-on microphone and a phone connection, so users can press a button to talk to the friend and receive replies from him in the form of text messages.
The AI friend can hear your voice and send you a text message, but it can’t pick up on social nuances like facial expressions and body language or touch you in a critical way, like a human can.
For example, a hug from a human friend can increase oxytocin, known as the “love hormone.” Touch can also build trust and calm you down faster than someone simply talking to you, Dr. Tang explains.
Dr. Elena Touroni, psychologist and co-founder of The Chelsea Psychology Clinic, also argues that while the digital tether can have conversations like a friend, it doesn’t have the same “range of complexities and experiences” as a human.
‘In our evolutionary past, being part of a social group was essential for survival,’ she told MailOnline.
‘Today it is still just as important for our mental and emotional well-being. Regular contact and sharing of thoughts and experiences with those we love is essential for our health and happiness.’
However, Dr Touroni admits that the chain could have positive benefits as it could enhance ‘human interaction’ by providing different ways to connect.
For example, it could help people who are socially anxious or very isolated, she said.
“It can provide companionship in a way that may be more accessible and less intimidating for some,” Dr. Touroni adds.
However, she stressed that the device should be approached with “caution”, echoing warnings from other experts that it could only make loneliness worse.
“If these types of products become the primary strategy for avoiding real-life interactions, it could exacerbate loneliness,” she said.
‘Real human interaction encompasses a range of complexities and experiences that technology cannot fully replicate.
“There is a risk that this kind of technology could actually exacerbate feelings of isolation if it replaces rather than complements real human contact.”
The necklace may provide temporary relief from loneliness, but Dr. Touroni says it should not be seen as a substitute for meaningful human connections.
Additionally, those who rely on the device for companionship have no way to get their “friend” back if the device gets damaged or lost.
An FAQ on Friend’s website warns: “Your friend and their memories are tied to the physical device. If you lose or damage your friend, there is no recovery plan.”
AI companions like Friend aren’t a new concept. In 2017, another AI chatbot app, Replika, was released, which provides emotional support and companionship on your smartphone.
Other companies have also created chatbots and AI girlfriends that offer flirty chats and sexy photos, such as Lexi Love from the company Foxy AI.
The Friend is also part of a recent trend of wearable AI devices that includes the Humane Ai-pin, an AI-equipped replacement for a hologram on your phone that you could pin to your shirt, and the Rabbit R1, a wearable, AI-powered assistant.