Meta Launches 'Jolly' Mascot for AI Platform 'Muse' Amidst Privacy Controversies

Key summary

Mark Zuckerberg introduced 'Jolly,' a fluffy mascot character with rosy cheeks and big eyes, as the face of Meta's new AI platform, 'Muse.' Designed to appear friendly and approachable, Jolly is integrated into the 'Muse Charm,' a keychain device functioning as a portable AI assistant capable of scheduling meetings, drafting messages, calculating calories, and ordering online items. As of October 2026, the Muse app has surpassed 6.6 million downloads in the United States and Canada alone, with daily active users exceeding 1.8 million, making it the top app on the US App Store ahead of ChatGPT. Experts note that this strategy aims to humanize AI, drawing parallels to historical uses of cute mascots like Hello Kitty in post-WWII Japan or Tamagotchi devices. However, the launch occurs against a backdrop of significant legal and reputational challenges for Meta. The company recently paid over 570 billion baht (approximately $16 billion) to settle lawsuits alleging that Instagram and Facebook features were designed to addict young users. Additionally, Meta faced a nearly 130 billion baht ($3.6 billion) fine in 2023 for excessive data collection practices and admitted in 2019 to hiring external organizations to access Messenger voice messages despite previous denials. While Muse is currently restricted to users aged 18 and older, critics warn that the cute exterior does not diminish the underlying risks of powerful AI or Meta's history of privacy violations.