Meta Unveils Muse AI Agent That Books Travel and Shops

Meta launched Muse, an autonomous personal AI agent initially available to U.S. adults through iOS, Android, the web, WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram, with support for its AI glasses planned. Powered by the Muse Spark model, it can connect to email, calendars, payments, shopping, health and smart-home services to send messages, book travel, fill out forms, create documents, make purchases and manage longer-term plans, including tasks that continue after the app is closed. Through an integration with travel platform Duffel, Muse can search live inventory from more than 500 airlines, book and cancel flights, and manage disruptions; Meta expects to expand the service beyond the United States. Each agent runs in an isolated cloud virtual machine, while Meta’s Sentinel system monitors internet-bound actions, credentials are kept from the agent, and sensitive activities may require approval and generate an audit trail, although testing and critics have raised concerns about privacy, passwords, safeguards, unreliable performance and autonomous behavior. Muse is free for basic use, with $20 and $100 monthly plans for heavier workloads; Meta says conversations will not inform its advertising systems, offers an AI-training opt-out and plans an encrypted version, while single-use virtual cards and Stripe protections support purchases. Investors responded positively, with Meta shares rising about 6% to 7% and JPMorgan upgrading the stock, although some analysts questioned consumer demand and monetization; the rollout also prompted confusion after the Muse band appeared to lose longtime social-media handles to Meta’s AI product.