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Friend: The AI Necklace Facing Public Backlash

S5 · E72 · 18 Jun 2026 · 11 min

A controversial advertising campaign for "Friend," an AI-powered necklace designed for conversation, sparked a wave of negative reactions. In several places, posters were vandalized, reflecting broader concerns about the growing role of technology in everyday life and reviving debates linked to modern forms of Luddism - opposition to technological change.