Meta's Muse AI App Tops 3.4M Downloads in US and Canada Since Launch

Meta is banking its future on its new Muse AI agent, which CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled as the centerpiece of the company's vision at the Meta Connect conference on Wednesday. The agent has quickly jumped to the top of both Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store, and according to Zuckerberg, millions of people are already using it. Chief AI officer Alexandr Wang demonstrated use cases ranging from scheduling meetings to negotiating better cable rates and making purchases across multiple services, and Meta is also bringing Muse to its next-generation Meta VR Glasses and to the Muse Charm, a handheld device that lets users interact with the agent without a smartphone or smart glasses. Meta said it will make money from Muse by taking a small cut on transactions made via the agent, and Zuckerberg said he expects Muse to grow into the personal super intelligence that billions of people around the world will use. The company dedicated part of the keynote to privacy, citing the Muse Secure VM and a forthcoming Muse Confidential VM, though it may take time to earn trust after its $5 billion settlement over the Cambridge Analytica data privacy scandal in 2019.

JPMorgan analysts say Meta Platforms' new Muse AI agent could become the most widely used consumer artificial intelligence app since OpenAI's ChatGPT, after the app hit No. 1 on Apple's U.S. App Store following its Sept. 8 launch. Analyst Doug Anmuth credited Muse's user-friendly interface, generous free tier and Meta's distribution across social platforms serving billions of users daily, and the bank reiterated its Overweight rating on Meta with a price target of $820. Muse reached about 2.5 million U.S. downloads through Sept. 19 with roughly 557,000 daily active users, according to Sensor Tower data cited by Bank of America, and on iOS alone its first 12 days produced 1.43 million downloads, edging out ChatGPT's 1.37 million over the same post-launch window. BofA Global Research said early reviews show the agent's ability to execute multi-step tasks and workflows with limited user intervention is resonating, but cautioned that revenue from ads, subscriptions or commissions within Muse is unlikely to become material before 2028. Muse's basic version is free, with subscription tiers priced at $20 and $100 a month for heavier use, and Meta shares have climbed nearly 20% since the launch.