Wired says Friend 2 is louder and less interesting

Wired reviewed the Friend 2, the second-generation AI chatbot pendant created by Avi Schiffmann. The device arrived in July for $249, $100 more than the original, and runs on OpenAI’s latest language models. It picks up nearby sound, lets users start conversations by tapping it and sometimes speaks without prompting; it also builds a memory map of conversations.

In Wired’s experience, the device took several taps to stop talking and delivered generic commentary in a tinny voice. Schiffmann had said each device would have a fixed personality, but the magazine reports that the app allows users to change the name and create multiple personas, which seemed barely different from one another. Friend 2 appeared shortly before Meta announced its Muse pendant, and Friend is working on another pendant that looks similar to Meta’s product, the article says.