Meta's New AI Assistant Muse Wants to Shop and Talk for You

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg believes the future involves everyone having a personal AI assistant called Muse that handles tasks like shopping, scheduling, and even talking to other people's AI agents. He envisions a world where billions of people use Muse, and these AIs interact with each other to complete transactions. Since its launch last month, Muse has been downloaded by over 10 million users in the US and Canada, making it one of Meta's most successful product launches. A quarter of those users use it daily, and a quarter have made purchases through the platform, spending an average of over $200 per transaction. Meta earns a fee on each transaction, and Zuckerberg predicts Muse will eventually generate more revenue per user than Instagram or Facebook.

The idea is that your Muse could talk to a business's Muse to buy things for you, saving time and effort. Zuckerberg says this will unlock tremendous value and make Muse highly profitable within a few years. However, there are significant privacy and security concerns. For example, a YouTuber reported that his Muse agent sent a stranger to his home in the middle of the night while arranging a Facebook Marketplace transaction. There have also been reports of agents leaking private conversations. A Canadian bank executive said they might block Muse from accessing customers' financial data.

Despite these issues, Zuckerberg is pushing forward, believing that if people adopt Muse, businesses will have to follow. But not everyone is convinced. With consumer sentiment at an all-time low due to inflation, some may question whether they want or can afford an AI that shops for them. Meta seems undeterred by the dystopian undertones, betting that convenience will win out.