At this year's Connect event, Mark Zuckerberg announced Meta's AI agent, Muse, as the centrepiece of the company's future. This cross-device assistant is set to jump between devices, ensuring a META-free moment is rare. But in a bid to soften the edge, Jolly, the cute AI mascot, has been introduced. This fuzzy little friend, complete with a soft smile, can now answer your questions and even offer a video chat. However, the cute facade of Muse and the childlike novelty of the pocket device raise questions about the future of AI and privacy.

Given Zuckerberg's prediction that in the coming years, Muse will grow into a personal superintelligence for billions, there's a subtle undercurrent of infantilising the user. This could be seen as a calculated move to soften the more nefarious potential of the technology. With Meta's smart glasses already causing privacy concerns, the concept of an ever-listening pocket AI, however cute, pushes the limits of trust.

As Natalie Fear, Creative Bloq's staff writer, points out, there's something about a cute character design masking the global takeover of Meta's AI that sits a little uneasily. Pair that with the childlike novelty of the new pocket AI device, and it seems like a calculated move to soften the more nefarious potential of the technology.

The concept of a superintelligent AI that looks as harmless as a Tamagotchi raises interesting questions about how we interact with technology. Is cuteness enough to assuage our fears? Or is it simply a way to make the inevitable more palatable?