Meta has opened up its AI-powered video chat capability to all users across the United States, the company confirmed on Thursday. The feature, known as Meta AI Voice, enables users to place voice and video calls directly with Meta's consumer-facing artificial intelligence assistant, Meta AI, bringing a more interactive and conversational dimension to the company's AI product.

The capability was first shown to the public during Meta's Connect developer conference held in September. The video chat experience is driven by two newly developed AI models - Meta AI Realtime Avatar and Meta AI Realtime Voice - which work in tandem to animate and give voice to the digital character that users interact with during their sessions.

An Animated Avatar at the Center of the Experience

What sets Meta's approach apart from competing AI voice products is the use of an animated avatar as the face of the assistant. The default character, an animated figure affectionately referred to as Jolly, greets users and responds to their questions or task requests in real time. The company has also built in customization options, allowing users to swap out the default look for something more closely resembling a human, an animal, or an entirely different character of their choosing.

Meta's reasoning behind giving its AI assistant a visual personality is grounded in consumer psychology. The company believes that presenting the assistant in a relatable, character-driven form could deepen the emotional connection users feel toward it. That bond, Meta suggests, is likely to grow more meaningful as users begin holding regular live conversations with the assistant rather than simply typing queries into a chat interface.

The avatar is not static during conversations. According to Meta, the character uses what the company describes as "subtle expressions and gestures" that are calibrated to match the tone and context of whatever is being discussed, giving the interaction a more natural and lifelike quality.

Meta's Chief AI Officer Demonstrates the Feature

The public rollout was announced through an official blog post and a post on X by Meta's Chief AI Officer, Alexandr Wang, who also shared a short video demonstrating the feature with his own personalized assistant. In the clip, Wang engages in a lighthearted exchange with his Meta AI avatar - styled as a fluffy white dog - joking that his habit of posting memes on X may have landed him in hot water with his employer. The AI avatar responds with a practical suggestion: adding disclaimers to any memes that could be interpreted as Meta officially endorsing anything controversial.

The demo served as an informal but effective illustration of the assistant's conversational range, showing how it can engage in casual, context-aware dialogue while still offering actionable responses.

Part of a Broader Hardware and Software Strategy

The timing of this rollout is notable. Meta is preparing to release a Tamagotchi-style wearable device built around its Meta AI assistant before the end of the year. The compact device will feature a small screen on which the digital avatar will appear, allowing users to speak with the assistant and receive replies or have tasks completed on their behalf - all through a portable, always-on form factor.

Meta has confirmed that real-time voice and video conversations with the assistant are currently supported across mobile platforms, the web, and Mac desktops. The company also indicated that the feature will eventually be extended to its AI-powered smart glasses and the forthcoming hardware product referred to internally as the "Meta AI Charm" device, further expanding the range of surfaces on which users can interact with their AI assistant.

The expansion of Meta AI into live video and voice interactions reflects a broader industry shift toward more immersive, real-time AI experiences. With competitors already offering voice-based AI tools, Meta's decision to layer in a visual, customizable avatar represents a distinct design philosophy - one focused on making AI feel less like a utility and more like a presence that users can build a genuine relationship with over time.