As the proverb says, “All publicity is good publicity.”
Friend CEO Avi Schiffman said his company’s response to the 7-figure ad purchase of seven-figure ads on the New York City Subway was “funny” during an episode of the Alex Heath and Ellis Hamburger’s “Access” podcast on Thursday.
My friend is an AI companion in the shape of a pendant necklace. The pendant can listen to unemployed conversations and respond via the relevant app on the user’s phone.
Last month, Schiffman told AdWeek that his friend spent more than $1 million on a print ad campaign that included more than 11,000 subway car ads, more than 1,000 platform posters and 130 city panels.
AI-skeptical New Yorkers quickly tainted many of these ads with anti-graffiti. Ads for friends that Business Insider took the photo included phrases such as “Human connections are sacred”, “AI is not your friend”, “AI doesn’t care if you live, die or die”, and “monitoring tools”.
My friend launched an advertising campaign throughout New York City. Business Insider
“A lot of people think it’s an excruciating amount of money, but I think it’s actually really cheap,” Schiffman said in an interview. “I don’t feel that buying a New York subway for $1 million is that expensive, especially due to the amount of external advertising from it.
While some people may be hesitant to embrace their AI peers, Schiffman believes that emotions will change in the future as technology improves and culture adapts.
“Ideally, there’s one company that pops into your mind,” Schiffman said. “All roads will return to friend.com.”
Schiffman said in an email to Business Insider that the company has seen “a huge increase in sales and traffic” since the campaign began.
Some New Yorkers are tainting advertising. Business Insider
As AI technology evolved, AI peers (sold as friends, coworkers, or romantic partners) have become more common.
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Common Sense Media, a nonprofit, surveyed more than 1,000 teenagers about their relationships with fellow AI. More than a quarter of respondents said they had never used AI companions, while 52% said they did at least several times a month.
Overrely relying on AI for friendship and advice can have serious consequences. In one case, parents sued the opening for the illegal death of their 16-year-old son. He committed suicide after saying he used ChatGpt to explore suicide methods. Openai said it would introduce new safeguards for “sensitivity situations” in August.
Openai CEO Sam Altman said at a July meeting that young people are “reliant too much on ChatGpt,” and that doing so is “dangerous.”
“What’s about making the overall decision to live our lives as if ChatGpt gave great advice, if ChatGpt gives better advice than human therapists.
Despite the backlash, Schiffman said during an interview about the “Access” podcast that his friend’s ad campaign was on track.
“I’m happy because it’s such a great success so far,” he said.
