Meta's Charm gadget carries CEO Zuckerberg's big AI ambitions

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg presents the Muse Charm during the Meta Connect event at the company's headquarters in Menlo Park, California, U.S., September 23, 2026. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

MENLO PARK, California, Sept 23 : Mark Zuckerberg took repeated digs at Apple during Meta's annual event on Wednesday, only to borrow a page from Steve Jobs' playbook for a surprise reveal: a pocket-watch-sized device that carries Meta's viral Muse AI agent into the real world.

The device, called Muse Charm, highlights a broader shift at the social media giant that has long sought to escape Apple and Google's operating systems with a platform of its own. Users can tap the gadget to access Muse directly, bypassing AI apps on smartphones.