The founder of Friend is betting on making enemies.

Avi Schiffmann, CEO of the AI companion startup, poured more than $1 million dollars into a New York City subway takeover—plastering stations and cars across all five boroughs with stark white posters that practically beg to be defaced.

“This is the world’s first major AI campaign. We beat Open AI and Anthropic and all these other companies to the punch,” Schiffmann told ADWEEK.

The campaign runs entirely in print, with more than 11,000 car cards, over 1,000 platform posters, and 130 urban panels. It dominates key locations, including the long underground walkway at West Fourth Street.

The copy on one of the ads reads: “[frend] noun. Someone who listens, responds, and supports you.”

A new kind of friend

The centerpiece of Friend’s

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