AI is coming for collectibles next
TL;DR
Buddyo and HeyMates are introducing AI-powered smart bases for collectible figurines like Funko Pops, enabling users to chat with characters such as sports stars or superheroes through an app. This trend highlights the integration of AI into toys and collectibles, as seen at CES, with features like speakers and microphones enhancing interactivity.
AI toys, companions, and robots have been everywhere at CES this year, but among the horde of waddling plushies and light-up emoji eyes, two stood out to me. HeyMates and Buddyo are each betting that the collectible figurine boom is going to come back with an AI-powered vengeance, letting us chat to sports stars and superheroes from our desks.
The core concept to both is this: Take a cutesy figurine and stick it onto a smart base with a speaker, microphone, and maybe a flashing ring of light or two. Then use an accompanying app to power a basic LLM chatbot based on the figurine, so you can talk to Albert Einstein about relativity, or Darth …