Struggling to recall key details from important meetings or interesting chats? Base Hardware’s Friend AI necklace might be the solution you’ve been waiting for. This innovative wearable acts as your personal AI assistant, capturing conversations in real-time and providing you with a record of what was said, and even generating to-do lists to help with follow-ups.
Friend features a microphone for audio capture, Bluetooth connectivity to your phone, and, most importantly, on-device AI processing, enabling it to analyze conversations and generate summaries without needing an internet connection. According to Base Hardware, it does not retain conversations; transcripts are stored solely in the app on your phone. The Friend app offers AI-powered suggestions and can automatically create reminders, action items, or calendar entries based on your discussions.
Beyond its core functionality, Friend embraces an open-source approach. Developers can tinker with the device’s software, create plugins, and customize the mobile app that accompanies the device to expand its capabilities, making Friend a potentially appealing tool for tech-savvy users. While the developer version is available now, the consumer version is still up for pre-order with shipping expected in the latter part of 2024, at an expected price of $69.69.
While Friend offers a practical and affordable solution for those who have difficulty recalling conversation details or need a more efficient way to manage follow-ups, it also raises significant privacy concerns due to its constant recording, which leads to security risks and ethical issues. Some may find the always-on feature intrusive, the overall functionality unnecessary, and the open-source nature of the software introduces potential security vulnerabilities. Turning off the always-on feature and using it only when needed compromises the convenience, which is a key selling point of Friend. The manufacturer seems to have left this issue to developers, so we may see future software updates aimed at enhancing privacy protection while preserving user-friendliness.
We’ve seen many wearable technologies and AI-powered devices change our lives, but it always comes down to us to decide how to use them and what compromises we are willing to make. With the rise of such products, we inch closer to a future where privacy could increasingly be compromised, public recording might become standard, and personal interactions could be more restricted. It’s important to remember that technology should improve our lives without sacrificing the trust and intimacy we value in our relationships with family, friends, and the cherished aspects of our lives.
