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Meta says US users can now video chat with their Muse AI avatar

AINovember 6, 20261 min read

Meta now lets everyone in the U.S. video chat with Muse, its AI helper that appears as a cartoon-style avatar. The avatar talks back in real time.

Video chats with an AI avatar are now open to all U.S. users

Meta said on Thursday that Muse Voice is available to everyone in the U.S. The feature lets people call or video chat with Muse, Meta's consumer AI agent. Muse is an AI program that can answer questions and do tasks for a user. Its digital avatar, nicknamed Jolly, is cute and animated. Users can also change the avatar to look like a person, an animal, or another character.

Key facts at a glance

Meta first showed the feature at its Connect developer conference in September.
The rollout covers everyone in the U.S.
Real-time chats work on mobile, web, and Mac.
Support for AI Glasses and the upcoming "Muse Charm" device will come later.

Why the avatar matters

Other AI tools offer voice chat, but Meta gives Muse a face. Meta believes that a character-like avatar can help people feel more connected to their AI helper. Meta also says the avatar will use small facial expressions and gestures that match the mood of the talk. In a demo, Alexandr Wang, Meta's chief AI officer, showed his own Muse as a fluffy white dog. The dog suggested he add disclaimers to memes that could look like Meta supports something risqué.

Why it matters

This shows how AI assistants are moving from typing to talking face to face. A friendly avatar could make people use AI more often. It also sets up Meta's plan to bring Muse to a small Tamagotchi-like wearable device before the end of the year.

What to watch

Whether the avatar feature spreads beyond the U.S.
How the Tamagotchi-like wearable device works when it launches before year-end.
When real-time chat comes to AI Glasses and the "Muse Charm" device.

Glossary

Muse: Meta's consumer AI agent that can chat, answer questions, and do tasks for users.
Muse Voice: The feature that lets users call and video chat with Muse.
Connect: Meta's yearly developer conference, where new products are first shown.
Muse Charm: An upcoming Meta hardware device that will support real-time Muse chats later.

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