AI hardware startup CEO after people damage $1 million ad: Doesn't feel like that expensive

AI hardware startup Friend’s CEO Avi Schiffman isn’t much affected after the company’s ads were damaged. Talking at a recent episode of the Access podcast, he described the public response to his company's seven-figure New York City subway ad campaign as "entertaining," even after many ads were defaced with anti-AI graffiti. Friend, which sells an AI companion in the form of a pendant necklace, spent over $1 million on a print campaign that included more than 11,000 subway car ads. However, New Yorkers promptly defaced the ads with phrases like "AI is not your friend," "Human connection is sacred," and "surveillance tool," according to photos obtained by Business Insider. The Friend pendant is designed to listen to unprompted conversations and respond through a connected app on the user's phone.


What Friend CEO Avi Schiffman said about the damaged ads


At the interview, Schiffman said, “I think a lot of people think it's an excruciatingly large amount of money to spend, but I actually think it's really quite cheap. To buy the entirety of New York's subway for a million dollars doesn't really feel like that expensive, especially for the amount of external publicity from it, which has been quite entertaining.”

While some people may currently be reluctant to accept AI companions, Schiffman believes that this will shift over time as the technology advances and society becomes more accustomed to it.

“There's going to be one company that comes to your mind, ideally. All roads lead back to Friend.com,” Schiffman added.


In an email to Business Insider, Schiffman mentioned that the company has experienced a “large uptick in sales & traffic” since the campaign began.

Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organisation, conducted a survey of over 1,000 teenagers about their interactions with AI companions. While more than a quarter of participants reported never using an AI companion, 52% indicated that they used one at least a few times per month.

Relying too heavily on AI for friendship and guidance can sometimes have serious consequences. In one instance, parents sued OpenAI over the wrongful death of their 16-year-old son, who died by suicide after they said he used ChatGPT to research methods. OpenAI stated in August that it would implement new safeguards for “sensitive situations.”