Meta has unveiled the Muse Charm, a small handheld AI companion designed to interact with users through voice and a teddy bear-shaped avatar. The device places Meta among companies seeking to make AI assistants more mainstream through dedicated hardware, though its usefulness beyond a smartphone app remains uncertain.

The Charm is expected to launch before Christmas, but its price, exact capabilities and choice of Muse models have not been disclosed. Given its size, some processing may occur locally while responses are generated in the cloud; Meta’s experience with hardware could help it address privacy concerns that have affected other AI devices and smart glasses.