Meta Muse AI has quickly climbed to the top of Apple’s App Store, overtaking ChatGPT among free downloads as Meta’s consumer-facing agent gains traction with users. The app offers a personal AI agent that can book appointments, make purchases, and manage calendars, placing it at the forefront of a fast-emerging market for autonomous digital assistants.
Named Muse, the assistant runs on Meta’s Muse Spark model and links to a variety of services that the AI can manage on its own. Users grant access across their devices so the agent can, for example, plan travel or secure restaurant reservations. It marks Meta’s first large-scale push into consumer AI agents and has propelled the company ahead of several rivals, at least for now.
Amazon has pushed back against the rollout. The company blocked the assistant from interacting with its online store, stating that continued access by an unauthorized AI agent violates its Conditions of Use and asserting that Meta did not seek permission to connect. Meta did not immediately comment, though it has announced a partnership with Shopify to support some of Muse’s shopping functions.
Nikesh Arora, chief executive at Palo Alto Networks, wrote on X that versions of such agents are likely to appear from Apple, Google, and others. He said service, marketplace, and commerce apps will face pressure to open APIs for consumer agents, especially smaller players that could be forced to choose between enabling access or facing higher distribution costs.
The rapid adoption of Muse gives Meta a notable win after difficulties keeping pace with leading AI labs such as OpenAI and Anthropic. Its swift rise, alongside Amazon’s response, underscores how agentic technology is reshaping consumer interactions. Meta introduced Muse as Anthropic and OpenAI rolled out lower-cost model options, and Apple released an updated Siri as part of its latest iOS update.
The launch raises broader questions about who controls shopping and user interfaces that agents like Muse attempt to access, and how large platforms will permit that access. For Amazon, the assistant could divert users away from its site and app, reducing exposure to advertising that supports key revenue streams.
Liat Ben-Zur, CEO of LBZ Advisory and a former Microsoft vice president of consumer services, said the issue goes beyond bot detection or website entry, emphasizing that companies setting access rules will significantly influence whether agents truly serve consumers.
Amazon has taken similar actions before. The company sued Perplexity last year over its Comet AI tool, which enabled access to Amazon accounts in ways comparable to Muse. Amazon recently lost a ruling at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which found users were choosing to access Amazon through the bot. The dispute is ongoing.
Amazon operates its own agent, Buy for Me, that offers shopping assistance similar to Muse. The company says brands can opt out, though they are opted in by default. CEO Andy Jassy has also said Amazon is exploring partnerships with third parties on AI shopping agents.
Privacy is likely to be a central concern for consumers evaluating assistants like Muse. The service allows personalization, including naming the assistant, but requires access to sensitive data, such as bank account information, to perform tasks effectively.
Meta says user credentials are not shared and that purchases use single-use card numbers to conceal actual card details. The company has previously faced scrutiny over privacy, including proposed class actions related to its smart glasses. One suit alleged footage, including very personal content, was sent to external reviewers for annotation and AI development, a claim Meta has disputed.
Meta Muse AI and what comes next
The rise of Muse arrives ahead of Meta’s annual Connect conference in Menlo Park, California, where CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to detail updates to the company’s smart glasses on Wednesday. The company’s broader AI strategy comes as investors track sector developments, including forecasts covered in Dow Jones futures: AI slowdown call, Fed meeting in view.
Meta’s approach to AI assistants will likely be closely watched by competitors and regulators. As more companies race to deploy autonomous agents, debates over data access, privacy, and platform control are expected to intensify, potentially drawing scrutiny from agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission.