Sure, Meta’s AI Muse works, but it sure creeps me out

Meta introduced Muse as an AI agent meant to automate everyday tasks such as sorting email, shopping, and building travel plans. In hands-on testing, the assistant carried out many of those chores reliably: after the reviewer linked a Gmail account, Muse removed thousands of promotional messages, and when connected to Amazon it selected and purchased specified workout tops while noting and offering to remove other items in the cart.

Linking accounts was not seamless in every environment — the reviewer experienced repeated Google sign-in glitches on mobile and completed the Gmail connection on a laptop. Meta states Muse only exchanges data with third-party apps as needed and that it does not share information with advertisers, but the reviewer still reported discomfort about permitting Meta broad access to personal emails and payment flows.

Muse also generated multimedia artifacts and a personalized news-style feed. It declined some image generation requests (for certain character depictions and an "Apple CEO") but produced images and a video of a product launch that included devices bearing Apple’s logo and familiar app icons; in that output Muse misnamed some apps. The app’s feed surfaced local stories tied to the reviewer’s current location, which Muse said it inferred from the shipping address on an Amazon order.

Digging into social account data, the assistant listed highly specific interests drawn from the reviewer’s Instagram and Facebook accounts, and said it read that information through account API data rather than only what’s visible in the app UI. Muse also maintains a running set of ideas and goals to suggest how it can help, such as comparing products, cancelling subscriptions, and tracking collectibles. Despite its capability to handle mundane tasks, the reviewer concluded that the depth of information Muse accessed — including details not easily visible within connected apps — left them uneasy about letting the agent manage sensitive items like emails and credit-card purchases. The Verge contacted Meta about what data Muse can access inside Instagram and Facebook but did not receive an immediate response.