Meta lets users hold voice conversations with its Muse AI agent

Meta has added real-time voice conversations to Muse, its AI agent, chief executive Mark Zuckerberg announced on Thursday. The feature is rolling out now, and Meta says US users can also take calls with Muse as a customisable animated avatar.

One reviewer who received the feature tried it on the iOS app while writing about it. The avatar at the top of the conversation animates in step with the speech. Users can change the voice's tone either by asking the agent for a style and letting it choose, or by browsing options in the avatar settings.

In brief tests, the reviewer found that Muse answered quickly by voice. It sometimes paused while looking up information.

A wearable on the way

Meta's announcement comes ahead of the launch of a wearable device designed to bring Muse to life. The device is described as a Tamagotchi-like product, a reference to the handheld virtual pet toy from the 1990s.

The move adds to a growing push by tech companies to make AI assistants feel more personal, with faces, voices and characters that users can interact with directly.

What is not yet known

Meta has not said when the voice feature will reach users outside the US, how the wearable will be priced, or when it will go on sale. Meta has not said how many people currently use Muse.