US users can now talk face-to-face with Meta's animated Muse AI

Meta has rolled out a major update for its consumer AI agent, Muse. Users in the United States can now make real-time voice and video calls with the AI. Instead of just typing messages, you can now have a face-to-face video chat with a responsive, animated digital character.The new feature, called Muse Voice, is now available to everyone in the US across mobile devices, the web, and Mac. Meta's Chief AI Officer, Alexandr Wang, announced the launch on Thursday through a blog post and a post on X (formerly Twitter).A customizable AI companionUnlike standard AI voice assistants, Meta has given Muse a face. The AI comes with a cute, default animated avatar nicknamed "Jolly". As you talk, the avatar interacts with you by using subtle facial expressions and gestures that naturally match the mood of your conversation. While the AI cannot actually see you, it listens and reacts based on what you are saying.If you want a more personal touch, you can completely customize the avatar. Meta allows users to change the AI's appearance to look like a different person, an animal, or a custom character of their choice. In a demo video on X, Wang showed his own Muse customized as a fluffy white dog, joking with it about how his memes might get him in trouble at work. Meta believes that giving the AI a face and personality will help consumers feel a stronger, more natural connection to their digital agent.The tech behind the avatarMeta first teased this video chat feature at its Connect developer conference in September. To make the real-time conversation feel fast and smooth, the company is using two new AI models: Muse Realtime Avatar and Muse Realtime Voice. These technologies work together to ensure that the digital avatar's lip movements, voice, and facial expressions stay perfectly in sync during live calls. To keep the platform safe, Meta has added a durable, invisible watermark called "Meta Video Seal" to all generated video chats. The company has also made it clear that the Muse agent is strictly restricted to users who are 18 years of age and older.What’s coming next: The Muse CharmThis rollout is setting the stage for new hardware. Before the end of the year, Meta plans to launch a palm-sized, Tamagotchi-like wearable device called the "Muse Charm".The gadget will feature a small screen where your customized Muse avatar will live. This will allow you to interact with the AI and ask it to complete tasks without needing to pull out your phone. Meta also noted that support for these real-time video chats will eventually be added to its smart glasses.- Ends