PARIS, France: Newly landed in Europe after a stormy reception in America, startup Friend's chatbot-powered, always-listening pendants are stirring concerns over compliance with tough EU data rules as well as anti-AI resentment.
Many metro stations in Paris have in recent weeks been plastered with Friend's ads, picturing the round white device with promises like "I'll always be up for grabbing coffee with you" and "I'll never leave dirty dishes in the sink".
French-American founder Avi Schiffmann singled out the French capital for the publicity blitz after similar campaigns in New York, LA and Chicago.
"By doing these provocative campaigns in the metro, especially when people react to them with whatever they write on them or tear it down, it results in us having a conversation," he told AFP.
"It's very cool to see".
Shipped in packaging printed only in English and French – a nod to Schiffmann's origins – Friend's distinctive hardware is designed to be worn around the neck.
Its always-on microphone listens to the user and the world around them, providing the context the AI companion needs to respond on their smartphone.
The often-snarky text comments are generated by Google's Gemini artificial intelligence model.
"It's quite bewildering if you use it even for just an hour, because unlike other AIs it's quite cutting, it makes slightly strange jokes," said Charlotte Vautier, a French journalist who got a pendant from the US ahead of the EU release.
"It's like an old buddy who's honest with you and takes you down a peg or two."
Privacy rules
It's hard to gauge the popularity of Friend's brand of computer-generated cynicism, with Fortune magazine estimating just 3,000 of the devices were sold in the US.
Schiffmann told Cosmopolitan the company has more than 200,000 active users, but did not say whether they had all bought pendants.
The wider category of wearable AI devices is gathering steam, with Motorola (owned by China's Lenovo) and Amazon among big names working on them.
Meta's connected Ray-Ban glasses may be the most recognisable of the gadgets.
Friend's prospects in the European Union, where its devices are now on sale for €113 (RM526 or US$133), could run afoul of data protection rules.
Before using Friend, users are asked to "tick multiple boxes saying that you agree to record the people around you, without even asking them," journalist Vautier said.
"The pendant can't be switched off and the indicator light stays on. I couldn't work out whether it was still listening even when the application is closed" on the linked phone, she added.
"There's a strong suspicion that (Friend) does not fulfil its obligations" to respect users' privacy, said Jeremie Iordanoff, an MP for France's Green party who has called for an investigation by the CNIL data protection authority.
Schiffmann told AFP that Friend is "a lot more secure than the other chatbots", adding that all its "memories" are "encrypted".
But the CNIL told AFP that Friend's pendant raises question about "how data is used, where it's stored, how it's secured and how it could be reused for training AI systems".
It plans to contact the company about its compliance with the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Schiffmann declined to comment about Friend's dealings with French authorities.
Provocation
Some members of the public have already made their minds up about Friend, tearing down or defacing the omnipresent posters with messages opposed to the spread of AI, echoing reactions across the Atlantic.
Attacks against such posters represent "a widespread neo-Luddite reaction," said Fabrice Epelboin, a Paris-based expert on the digital world.
For AI opponents, "it's easier to have a go at a poster in the metro than at a data centre in a distant suburb," he added.
Schiffmann believes that such reactions remain marginal and that devices like Friend are here to stay.
"Every new generation is defined by some kind of social revolution," the 23-year-old said, noting that "for my generation it was definitely social media".
For the "generation alpha" born after 2010, "AI companionship... will absolutely define their generation," he added. – AFP
