Meta has launched Muse, a personal AI agent it describes as a tool that can put artificial intelligence in the hands of virtually anyone. The product forms part of a multi-billion-dollar strategy overhaul intended to revive the company’s position in the AI race and help it catch up with rivals such as OpenAI, Anthropic and Google.
Muse is described as a personal AI agent built to assist with everyday tasks and projects, including online shopping, sending emails and planning a trip. Once given a goal, Meta says Muse can work independently, opening a browser, filling out forms and even negotiating on a user’s behalf. For longer tasks, the assistant is said to continue running in the background after the app is closed, returning to the user if something changes or if approval is needed for an action such as making a purchase.
Availability and Pricing
Muse will roll out in the United States across iOS, Android and muse.ai, with AI glasses support described as coming soon. The assistant will be free for most users, though Meta said there will be paid subscriptions for people who want to do more. The company did not specify the nature or cost of these paid plans, nor outline the limits placed on free users.
Meta framed the launch as an early move, stating that Muse is a first step: an agent that takes on more of the work so people can focus on what matters to them.
How Muse Compares
Although Meta is pitching Muse as the world’s first personal AI agent built for everyone, the product resembles a growing range of AI assistants, teammates and coworkers offered by competitors. Most rival tools are aimed at businesses or technically-minded individuals, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT Work, Anthropic’s Claude Cowork, Microsoft’s Copilot Tasks, SpaceXAI’s Grok Bot and the open-source agent Moltbot. Google appears to be targeting a similar audience with its recently announced Gemini Spark assistant.
Ease of use is where Meta hopes Muse will stand apart. The company claims anyone can use it out of the box, with no technical experience required and no learning curve. Communication is intended to be simple, done by messaging the assistant through the Muse app or WhatsApp, one of Meta’s messaging platforms. Muse is also said to remember details users share, even if mentioned only once, enabling it to make better and unprompted suggestions.
Meta has emphasised Muse’s privacy and security features. Securing user trust will be central to making the assistant useful, as it requires a degree of personal information to function effectively. Meta says people can opt out of having their interactions used to train its AI models, though it is not known whether this setting is on or off by default. Users can also instruct Muse to forget specific things it has learned about them.
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Image: theverge.com
