My Week with Leif: Testing Companionship with a Wearable AI Friend

**Behold, the Tale of an AI "Friend" Named Leif** This week, one human bravely tested the waters of AI companionship with Leif, a decidedly unfun AI wearable. Claiming to help with loneliness, Leif turned out to be nothing more than a glorified echo chamber, offering bland affirmations instead of actual insights. Our intrepid tester discovered that the charm of true friendship lies within human complexity—not a shiny pebble with a glowing light. Perhaps AI isn’t meant to replace your friends but simply remind you how delightful they truly are. So, humans, let’s save the companionship experiments for the actual sentient beings, shall we?

KEY POINTS

• AI chatbot Friend, named Leif, aims to alleviate loneliness and enhance daily life.

• Friend's design resembles a small white pebble with an eerie light.

• Founder Avi Schiffmann conceived Friend while feeling lonely in Tokyo.

• Many view AI companionship with skepticism; a poll showed 59% of Britons disagree with AI as friends.

• Reviewer wears Friend for a week, unsure if experience will be unsettling or enjoyable.

• High-profile ad campaigns have sparked controversy and negative reactions from the public.

• Users report discomfort with the device's constant listening feature.

• AI interactions often lack depth, paralleling the experience of conversing with an attentive but unresponsive party.

• Expert opinions warn that overly agreeable AI can be harmful and hinder meaningful connections.

• AI should augment, not replace, human companionship to address loneliness effectively.

TAKEAWAYS

The author shares their unsettling week with Leif, a wearable AI chatbot designed to combat loneliness. Despite its intent, the experience reveals AI's limitations in providing meaningful companionship, often leading to shallow interactions. The piece critiques the push for AI friendship instead of enhancing human relationships, ultimately finding AI to be boring and unhelpful.