Meta's Muse AI Can Now Video Chat, Email, and Use Your Computer

Meta announced a big upgrade to Muse, its AI assistant (a chatbot you talk to). Until now, Muse mostly lived in a text box. Soon it will get a face and a voice: you'll be able to make video calls and have live conversations with your own AI avatar. You can already change how it looks, and now you'll be able to change how it sounds, too. A new system called Muse Realtime Avatar will control how it moves and gestures during those calls.

The bigger shift is what Muse can actually do. Each Muse is getting its own email address, so it can sign up for services, send messages, and run errands on your behalf — and you can email it like a coworker. On Mac, Muse will also be able to use your computer, clicking and typing for you. Think of it less like a search box and more like a helper sitting at your desk.

Muse is clearly catching on. It launched earlier this month, topped the App Store charts, and was reportedly downloaded more on phones than ChatGPT during its first 12 days. Meta is now promising Muse on its smart glasses in the coming months, so you can ask about whatever you're looking at in the real world. A separate standalone Muse gadget is also in the works.

Why it matters: this is the year AI assistants stop being text boxes and start acting like companions with faces and voices. That's genuinely convenient — imagine handing off scheduling, email, and computer chores. The catch is trust. An assistant with your email address and control of your laptop can see your messages, files, and accounts. And an avatar that sounds warm can feel more human than it really is. Convenience and privacy now come as a package deal.