Meta has a new AI pet app called Waddle World

Meta's new Waddle World app offers users in the Philippines an AI-enhanced virtual pet experience, drawing comparisons to classic Tamagotchi games. Users can hatch, feed, and play with a pixel pet, with the app designed for casual engagement rather than habit-building. Its explicit description highlights a "cozy 16-bit world" where pets live, emphasizing a low-pressure interaction without scores or streaks.

The app's design choices appear to be a deliberate strategic move. Meta's description states Waddle World is "Not a chatbot. Not an assistant. Not a productivity tool," and it is flagged as suitable for users over 18. This positioning may reflect Meta's intent to distance itself from the controversies faced by other AI companion app developers, such as Character.AI and OpenAI, which have reportedly encountered lawsuits alleging harm to teenagers.

Waddle World integrates AI through features like a journaling function, where users can describe their day via voice or text, and the pet then writes a note "in its own voice" with a doodle. The app also includes mini-games and can send weekly emails summarizing insights about the user. This experimentation with AI-driven virtual pets could also serve as a testing ground, with the article noting its potential as a "precursor to the company’s Tamagotchi-like gadget powered by Muse."