When AI companions disconnect from Wi-Fi and venture outside the house with Fuzozo.

      Credit: Tuya

      In contrast to certain products that are primarily marketed as AI toys, Fuzozo seems to redirect its emphasis from short-term excitement to long-term usage. The AI emotional companion, developed by Robopoet with foundational AI and connectivity support from Tuya, features a compact, furry, pet-like design that is intended to be portable and integrate more seamlessly into daily life.

      Fuzozo prioritizes continuous interaction. By retaining aspects of past conversations and usage states, the device can slowly cultivate a relatively stable personality over time, rather than functioning merely as a sequence of separate questions and answers. Alan Ren, Marketing Director of Tuya, mentioned in an interview with TechNode that the essence of an AI emotional companion lies not in the entertainment value of each individual interaction, but in its ability to forge a lasting and evolving emotional bond with its user.

      Transitioning from Wi-Fi to cellular, AI companions venture beyond the home. One significant technical distinction involves connectivity. A number of AI emotional devices still depend largely on Wi-Fi, which typically restricts their functionality to indoor environments. By incorporating built-in cellular connectivity, Fuzozo aims to overcome the common limitation of AI companions that operate exclusively at home.

      With cellular access, the device remains connected while users commute, enjoy outdoor activities, or travel abroad, enabling the companion experience to extend throughout various aspects of daily life, rather than being confined to one location. From Tuya’s viewpoint, connectivity is a fundamental aspect of the overall experience, rather than just another feature enhancement. According to Alan Ren, lower latency and more reliable connections contribute to smoother conversations and more natural emotional responses, making long-term companionship a more feasible reality rather than just a theoretical idea.

      A new AI hardware playbook in the background. Tuya is not directly involved in crafting Fuzozo’s emotional interactions. Instead, it offers foundational support via its AI developer platform and global cloud infrastructure, which manages aspects like device connectivity, data handling, and worldwide rollout. This arrangement allows Robopoet’s team to concentrate on the emotional model, interaction design, and the product's evolving personality.

      This division of responsibilities also highlights a broader trend within the AI hardware industry: significant differentiation is increasingly being driven by the synchronized design of AI models, hardware designs, and connectivity features, rather than solely by model capabilities.

      Exploring beyond emotional value: the broader scope of AI companions. While emotional value is a trending topic, the true essence of meaningful emotional companionship remains uncertain. Fuzozo takes a step beyond merely reacting to present emotions. By documenting and reflecting on users’ long-term moods and experiences, it aims to cultivate a more sustained relationship over time, as opposed to a string of unlinked interactions.

      The product is also crafted to promote real-world engagement. When two users, each with their Fuzozo device, meet in person, a simple touch or nearby interaction allows the devices to recognize one another and track that meeting. The device is not designed to engage socially on the user’s behalf but serves as a light, low-pressure facilitator that eases connections in the real world. In this way, Fuzozo illustrates AI as a promoter of human relationships rather than a substitute.

      It remains to be seen whether AI emotional companions will emerge as the next mainstream hardware category. What is evident, however, is that as connectivity, AI models, and hardware designs continue to advance, these products are increasingly transitioning from concept to practical, everyday applications.

      Jessie Wu is a tech journalist based in Shanghai, covering consumer electronics, semiconductors, and the gaming industry for TechNode. You can connect with her via email: [email protected]. More articles by Jessie Wu.