The AI Tamagotchis are coming

The Verge reports that Meta and OpenAI both plan dedicated hardware devices with cute AI agents, first building user habits through software agents before launching hardware. OpenAI is developing hardware with Jony Ive, with shipments as early as February 2027 according to public filings; its agent platform Dots, unveiled at DevDay, uses customizable colorful characters with eyes, and CEO Sam Altman said future use in physical hardware is a reasonable assumption.