Meta opens Muse AI avatar video calls to users in the US

Meta has made voice and video calls with its Muse AI agent available to all users in the US. Users can customize the avatar, which uses facial expressions and gestures suited to the tone of the conversation. The feature was unveiled at the Connect conference in September; Meta is now rolling it out on mobile devices, the web and Mac. Video calls will later come to the company’s smart glasses and Muse Charm device.

Meta opens Muse AI avatar video calls to users in the US

How the Muse avatar works

The calls run on Meta’s new Muse Realtime Avatar and Muse Realtime Voice models. The AI agent can answer questions and carry out tasks. Its animated avatar, nicknamed Jolly, can be changed to look like a person, an animal or another character.

Meta expects the avatar to help users feel more connected to the AI agent, with live conversations reinforcing that impression. When Muse speaks, the avatar uses facial expressions and gestures that the company says are tailored to the tone of the conversation.

Meta announced the launch in a blog post, and its head of AI, Alexandr Wang, shared the news on X along with a demo. In it, Wang jokes about his fondness for posting memes on X and tells the avatar that they may have gotten him in trouble with his boss. Wang’s avatar, a fluffy white dog, suggests adding disclaimers to memes so they are not mistaken for Meta endorsing something inappropriate.

Where calls will be available

Real-time conversations are already supported on mobile devices, the web and Mac. Meta plans to add them to its smart glasses and Muse Charm device in the future.

The company also intends to release a wearable device for the Muse AI agent by the end of the year, similar to a Tamagotchi. Its small screen will display a digital avatar that users can talk to; it will be able to answer or carry out tasks.

Dataist's take: Meta is betting on ongoing interaction with Muse through an avatar, calls and a wearable device. So far, the company has shared only a release timeline for the device; its announcement contains no further details.