OpenAI and Meta are both launching agents ahead of their arrival, wagering that soft, cute digital companions will capture hearts before anyone lays eyes on the hardware. The comparison to Tamagotchis fits perfectly.
OpenAI’s Dots and the Soft Launch
OpenAI is working with ex-Apple designer Jony Ive on a hardware project that won’t ship until February of 2027, per a public filing. The company debuted a new AI agent platform called Dots at this year’s DevDay, complete with personalizable colored blobs with eyes.
Sam Altman declined to say whether Dots would eventually show up in a real-world device during a press conference with reporters. His answer “seems like a very reasonable thing to assume we may do someday,” and he refused to provide any more specifics beyond that.
Meta’s Muse Charm and Its Screen
The company is opting for a more direct strategy. Meta’s Muse agent arrives in a pendant-like device known as the Muse Charm. Zuckerberg likened it to a keychain. The device includes a display that shows its soft-looking Muse AI agent, giving it the appearance of a Tamagotchi.
“We’ve packed a lot of technology into this little guy,” Zuckerberg said onstage. “So, if you’re not wearing glasses, this is going to be by far the fastest way to talk to your Muse and to show it what’s going on around you.”
The Strategy Behind Both Devices
Both companies appear to be drawing lessons from other firms’ hardware rollouts that went wrong. They seem to be opting for a soft launch of their AI agents first, followed by a full rollout of the hardware later. The reasoning behind this approach is to get consumers accustomed to the AI agents ahead of time, which they hope will prompt users to spread the word that “yes, they really work now.”
After users come to see value in — and even develop affection for — the cutesy agents, they may want those agents in a more tangible format. Other firms, such as Friend, have pursued comparable software-first approaches, though Friend was primarily pitched as a companion chatbot rather than a productivity tool.
What Altman Says About Dots
Altman is banking on the fact that Dots will be more useful for long-term tasks than previous iterations of agents on the market have been. “This feels like an always-on helper, collaborator … that you can give very large pieces of work to and it gets to know you and helps proactively over time,” he said during the Tuesday press Q&A.
Sottiaux on ChatGPT’s Future
When asked during the DevDay press Q&A whether Dots will likely become the primary interface for interacting with ChatGPT, Thibault Sottiaux, OpenAI’s head of core products, said the company would be “evolving ChatGPT in place to be this incredible personal assistant very soon” and that he believes that as people are able to reach their AI agents via email, text, or phone call, the point of interaction is “all going to blur at some point.” It’ll be a “natural part of your life,” Sottiaux said.
The Market Test Ahead
Two firms are wagering that following a long stretch of lackluster AI assistants, they can now produce a genuinely helpful daily device that reaches a wider audience. Yet it appears that Muse’s version’s concerning exploits in Facebook Marketplace, and a Dots voice demo that went awry at DevDay, there’, at least for now, still needs refinement before it can claim that status.
Key Facts Box
- OpenAI hardware ships no earlier than February of 2027
- Meta’s Muse Charm aims to launch before this year’s holiday shopping season
- OpenAI is working with ex-Apple designer Jony Ive
- Zuckerberg compared the Muse Charm to a keychain
Our View on the Bet
It’s a clever strategy. By taking the software-first route, neither company has to commit to building a production line just yet. Instead, people will base their judgment on the agents’ usefulness alone, and only later will the hardware be judged. If the agents take hold, then the hardware will follow.
It’s a bet on patience, and it’s one worth making. The Tamagotchi comparison is apt: people fall for the cute ones first, and the hardware is just the shell.
Source material: “The AI Tamagotchis are coming,” The Verge.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.