Lil AI guys are back, and this time they can feel pain

After CES last year, I dubbed 2024 "the year of the lil AI guy". From Samsung's adorable Ballie—which is finally set to release later this year—to LG's cute AI Agent, it seemed the future of household AI lay in the hands (or, rather, wheels) of these pint-sized household assistants.

One year later, and the lil AI guy population has exploded. And, as your faithful lil AI guy connoisseur, I'd like to introduce you to the next generation of tiny robot friends, as seen at CES 2025.

Pronounced "Amy", the TCL Ai Me kind of looks like a beige, earless Grogu.

I'm not entirely sure what Ai Me is capable of, given it's just a concept at the moment, but it has a camera embedded in its forehead allowing it to capture videos and recognise objects.

Your handbag is lonely and it needs a friend. Enter Mirumi, a fluffy robotic sloth that accompanies you on your day-to-day errands. Does it do anything? Not really. Would I still die for Mirumi? 100%.

Allergic to most pets? The guinea pig-esque Metapet Noono is here to give you the experience of pet ownership without any of the yucky stuff.

On the downside, it can apparently feel anxiety, which seems like a particularly cruel addition on the part of the manufacturer. They will be first to go during the inevitable robot uprising.

Remember Furby? Ropet is like Furby on steroids. It's soft, fluffy, with big adorable eyes that look right at you and can recognise your face. It dances when it hears music, reads your emotions, recognises objects you show it, and can even talk to you thanks to its ChatGPT integration.

Unfortunately, Ropet has also been programmed to feel anger and sadness. #same