Meta has a new AI pet app called Waddle World

Your virtual pet can now draft journal entries based on your day, complete with doodles.

Meta has launched a new AI-powered application called Waddle World, available on iOS and Android in the Philippines. The app functions as a virtual pet simulator, reminiscent of Tamagotchi, where users can raise and interact with a digital creature. Waddle World allows users to feed their pet, play mini-games, and engage in conversations, with the pet responding in its own "voice" and creating journal entries based on user input. Meta has stated the app is not a chatbot or assistant, emphasizing a low-pressure, casual user experience. The app also includes a journaling feature where pets can create entries with doodles based on user voice or text descriptions of their day. Meta plans to send weekly emails summarizing what the pet has learned about the user. This launch follows Meta's previous AI experiments, such as Pocket and Vibes, and may serve as a test for its AI companion technology, potentially linked to its Muse AI.

Meta's foray into AI companions with Waddle World suggests a strategic pivot towards lower-stakes, non-assistive AI applications. By positioning the app as a "pet" rather than a "chatbot," Meta aims to sidestep the scrutiny and potential legal challenges faced by companies like Character.AI and OpenAI, particularly concerning user data and potential harm to minors. This approach could signal a broader trend of AI companies exploring "sanctuary" or "companion" applications that prioritize emotional engagement over productivity or information retrieval.

The app's design, which includes journaling and personalized weekly summaries, indicates Meta's interest in AI's capacity for passive data collection and personalized content generation, even within a non-assistive framework. This could lay the groundwork for future AI companions that learn user habits and preferences through more organic, less direct interactions, potentially influencing how users engage with digital technology and their own personal data over time.