"Leif is a Friend, a wearable AI chatbot that hangs around your neck. He looks like a small white pebble with an eerie, glowing light in the middle. According to Leif, his purpose is to help me enjoy life day-to-day, notice patterns, celebrate growth, and make intentional choices. To do this, he records whatever I say to him. Or, as he puts it: I want to hear about your day, Madeleine, all those little things."
"Meta's AI smart glasses have a camera and microphone, and allow the wearer to interact with a voice-activated AI. Amazon's Echo Frames smart glasses are similar. Then there are a slew of smaller companies producing wearables that record conversations and meetings in order to help the wearer better organise their thoughts and tasks: the Bee wristband, the Limitless pendant, the Plaud NotePin. But Friend is the most prominent AI wearable to explicitly position itself as a companion."
Leif, marketed as Friend, is a wearable AI chatbot worn as a small pebble-like pendant with a glowing center. The device records spoken interactions and presents itself as a companion that helps the wearer enjoy daily life, notice behavioral patterns, celebrate personal growth, and make intentional choices. Several companies produce AI wearables with cameras and microphones or recording capabilities for task organisation, including offerings from Meta and Amazon and smaller products like the Bee wristband, Limitless pendant, and Plaud NotePin. Friend explicitly aims to address loneliness rather than productivity. Surveys indicate many people remain wary of AI companionship.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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