Meta has launched Muse, an artificial intelligence agent designed to act as a personal digital assistant by autonomously using software applications and websites on behalf of users, as technology companies race to turn chatbots into tools capable of performing tasks.
Muse can be instructed through an app or WhatsApp to send emails, book travel reservations, make online purchases and perform other tasks, Meta said.
The agent also connects with Meta’s Instagram and Facebook platforms to gather information about users and can be linked to third-party services including Spotify, Ticketmaster, Shopify, Gmail and OpenTable.
The launch marks one of the first major efforts by a large technology company to bring an AI agent to a mass consumer market. AI agents are designed to go beyond answering questions by taking actions for users, a technology researchers expect to become increasingly capable of performing tasks traditionally handled by office workers.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has described Muse as a major breakthrough for the company, saying it works “24/7 on your behalf to help achieve your goals and improve your life, your health, your relationships, your finances.”
Muse is one of the first major consumer AI products developed by Meta Superintelligence Labs, the division Zuckerberg established last year as part of a push to strengthen Meta’s position in the increasingly competitive AI market.
Meta has committed billions of dollars to developing AI models and expanding data-center capacity as it competes with Alphabet’s Google, OpenAI, Anthropic and other companies.
The company has had mixed results with its AI products. Its AI-enabled smart glasses have sold millions of pairs, while raising concerns about privacy. Meta also temporarily removed an AI image generator from Instagram in July after criticism over copyright and privacy.
The Muse app is free to use but limits usage, with paid plans costing $20 or $100 a month for higher usage levels. The service is available only to adults, who can give the agent a custom name and avatar.
Users who connect OpenTable or Ticketmaster accounts can receive messages from Muse about restaurant reservations or concert tickets it believes may interest them and can make bookings with one click.
The agent can also connect to Stripe and Shopify to make purchases on behalf of users. Meta said Muse is the first AI agent covered by Stripe’s warranties and return policy if it makes a purchasing mistake.
Meta acknowledged that the technology remains imperfect, saying the agent “will sometimes make mistakes” but was designed to “help the user stay in control without being overwhelmed.”
The company has established a program that rewards people who report bugs in Muse. Meta said personal data collected by the agent, as well as the agent itself, is securely stored on its cloud servers and hardware.
Muse is powered by Muse Spark, an AI model Meta released in April. It was the company’s first model developed under Alexandr Wang, Meta’s 29-year-old chief AI officer, whom Zuckerberg hired last year to overhaul the company’s AI division.
Muse Spark currently trails leading AI models from Anthropic and OpenAI, but Meta plans to release a more powerful model, internally known as Watermelon, as soon as next month.
Meta also plans to expand Muse’s capabilities in coming months, including integration with its smart glasses, which feature a camera and voice assistant.
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