From The Verge · Hayden Field · · 2m
OpenAI and Meta bet on cute AI agents in hardware
After years of failed dedicated AI devices, two tech giants are launching physical hardware tied to personalizable AI agents they hope will finally break through to mainstream users.
In brief
After years of failed dedicated AI devices, two tech giants are launching physical hardware tied to personalizable AI agents they hope will finally break through to mainstream users. OpenAI and Meta are launching dedicated AI hardware devices in 2026 and 2027, betting that cute, useful AI agents will succeed where…
Dedicated AI devices have mostly failed
Devices like the Friend and Humane AI Pin inspired frustration and backlash. But OpenAI and Meta are both pushing ahead with new hardware plans despite the track record.
OpenAI debuts Dots at DevDay
OpenAI unveiled Dots, a new AI agent platform featuring personalizable colored blobs with eyes. CEO Sam Altman said it seems reasonable to assume Dots may appear in future physical hardware.
“seems like a very reasonable thing to assume we may do someday”
OpenAI targets February 2027 launch
OpenAI is working with ex-Apple designer Jony Ive and plans to ship hardware no earlier than February 2027, according to a public filing.
Meta's Muse Charm launches sooner
Meta aims to launch the Muse Charm, a pendant-like device with a screen showing its cuddly Muse AI agent, before this year's holiday shopping season. CEO Mark Zuckerberg compared it to a keychain.
“We've packed a lot of technology into this little guy”
Both companies soft-launch agents first
OpenAI and Meta are priming the market by getting people used to AI agents before launching hardware. They hope people will find value in the agents and want them in physical form.
Dots aims to be always-on helper
Sam Altman said Dots feels like an always-on helper and collaborator that can handle large pieces of work, get to know users, and help proactively over time.
“This feels like an always-on helper, collaborator … that you can give very large pieces of work to”
Integration across multiple touchpoints
OpenAI's head of core products said the company will evolve ChatGPT to be a personal assistant, with interaction points blurring across email, text, and phone call as people reach their AI agents.
Both companies still have work to do
After Muse's concerning exploits on Facebook Marketplace and a Dots voice demo that went awry at DevDay, both companies must prove their agents can deliver useful everyday tools to break through to mainstream users.
What to remember
OpenAI and Meta are launching dedicated AI hardware devices in 2026 and 2027, betting that cute, useful AI agents will succeed where previous personal AI devices have failed.
