Because nothing is safe from enshittification, a startup called Takway has unveiled an AI-powered spin on the Tamagotchi.
At CES 2026, the company showed off Sweekar, a small egg-shaped toy that features an AI companion. Like a Tamagotchi, this virtual companion requires you to feed and play with it, but to increase interactivity, it also leverages AI to react to and remember your behaviour.
This means it can “feel your touch,” and recognize “your voice, your stories, and your quirks,” among other things. (Not at all creepy for a kid’s toy.) The idea is the user will help nurture the egg through “baby,” “teen” and “adult” stages.
Covering the device at CES, Gizmodo reports that it uses a mix of Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. However, the publication notes that there was no word on what privacy protections, if any, are in place with the Sweekar, especially since it’s intended for children. As the outlet notes, there are also evergreen concerns about how AI responds to kids, even with toys.
For now, a Kickstarter for Sweekar is planned to launch in March, with the eventual price tag expected to fall between US $150 and $200 USD (roughly CA$205 to $275).
Image credit: Takway
Via: Gizmodo
