Meta has launched Muse in the United States, an artificial intelligence agent designed to carry out tasks across connected apps and services. Initially available to adults, it can send emails, organize appointments, assist with shopping, book travel and interact with payment tools, according to matching reports from Reuters and the Associated Press.
The launch marks a shift from chatbots that mainly answer questions. Autonomous agents receive a goal, plan the necessary steps and take actions for the user. Muse will be available through its own app and WhatsApp, with several subscription levels.
From conversation to action
Presented features include authorized access to email and calendars, help with long-term goals, and connections to shopping, health and smart-home services. Meta says tasks run inside a secure virtual machine intended to isolate the agent’s activity from the user’s device and other data.
The company also introduced a safety system that monitors the agent while it works. Autonomy nevertheless creates more complex risks: a misunderstood instruction could produce an unwanted action, while malicious content found on a webpage or in a message could try to manipulate the system.
Privacy and reliability
Internal testing found security and reliability problems before launch, Reuters reported. Meta delayed the debut originally planned for April, expanded evaluations and created programs for vulnerability reports. The company says it added further safeguards while acknowledging that AI agents require oversight.
Because Muse needs access to accounts and personal information for some tasks, users must authorize integrations and review the permissions they grant. Email, calendar, shopping and payment data are especially sensitive, making caution important before allowing automated decisions involving money or private information.
Competition for personal assistants
The product places Meta more directly in the race to build agents that can act across the digital world. WhatsApp’s reach may help adoption, but the service begins in the United States for people aged 18 and older. Meta has not detailed availability in other markets.
Reuters reported that Meta will offer a free tier and paid monthly plans of $20 and $100, with different usage and capability levels. Real-world performance, transparent permissions and the response to security incidents will determine whether the convenience outweighs the risks.
Muse illustrates how competition in AI is moving beyond generating text and images toward systems that take concrete actions. That transition could make assistants more useful, but it also increases the need for clear controls, confirmations before sensitive actions and ways to reverse mistakes.
Sources: Reuters and Associated Press.
