Less than two weeks after agreeing to an $18 billion multistate settlement over social media’s consumer harms, Meta introduced Muse, its biggest consumer AI bet to date. The personal AI agent is designed to help users in the U.S. complete everyday tasks and projects. It requires access to more personal information than Meta’s social products typically need.
Muse can connect to email, calendars, payments, health and fitness services, smart-home tools, dining, shopping, music, events, and other apps. Meta says it can send emails, book travel, lower bills, fill out forms, create plans, build grocery lists from recipe reels, send invitations, and make purchases. Purchases use Link by Stripe , which offers purchase protections, while Shopify’s Shop Pay and 1Password integrations are planned. Users choose connected services one at a time, with built-in connectors, public API connections, or browser access supporting additional services.
Muse will initially be available on the web, iOS, Android, and WhatsApp, with Meta AI glasses planned next. It will be free to use, while subscriptions will begin as usage increases; Power costs $20 per month and Maximum costs $100 per month. Like other AI agents, Muse can continue working after users leave the app and learn from conversations to make unprompted suggestions. A usage meter will show remaining capacity and warn users when free usage ends.
Meta says Muse operates inside Muse Secure VM , a dedicated environment with its own browser and privacy, safety, and security protections. A separate Sentinel agent runs on the same virtual machine but remains isolated from Muse at the system level. Meta says Muse cannot see users’ passwords or payment methods and does not share their conversations or data with its advertising systems. The company has released technical documentation, although security experts will need to examine these claims more deeply.
Consumer AI agents are spreading across technology companies and startups, but their usefulness is raising questions about how much privacy users will surrender. Meta has faced prior privacy settlements and allegations, exposed readable passwords in 2019, and remains associated with the Cambridge Analytica data scandal and lawsuits involving harms to minors. The company is emphasizing security documentation and letting users customize Muse’s identity, appearance, settings, and communication style. Whether those measures and Muse’s utility can overcome Meta’s history remains uncertain.