Meta Stock Wavers as Zuckerberg Unveils ‘Muse’ Autonomous AI Assistant

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) experienced a volatile trading session, initially rising 1% before slipping into the red, following the unveiling of Muse, a proactive personal AI agent designed to carry out digital tasks on the user’s behalf.

Powered by Meta’s new real-world task model, Muse Spark, the system goes far beyond traditional chatbots. Muse operates as an autonomous digital proxy that can independently send emails, book travel arrangements, and complete web forms. Importantly, it does not require ongoing supervision: the agent keeps working through complex tasks even after the app is closed, resurfacing only when human approval is needed to finalize a purchase or transmit a sensitive message.

To counter the security concerns inherent in a highly autonomous agent, Meta developed Muse Secure VM, a dedicated virtual machine that fully separates the agent from users’ personal data. A secondary AI monitor called Sentinel sits between Muse and the open internet, evaluating every action before execution. Passwords and login credentials remain securely stored, allowing Muse to rely on them without ever directly viewing the raw data.

“You’re in control,” Mark Zuckerberg stated in the announcement. “You choose which apps and services Muse has access to and you can disconnect them at any time. For sensitive actions like purchases or sending emails, Muse checks with you first.”

Strengthening its role as a digital shopper, Muse is the first AI agent covered by Stripe’s Link purchase protections, with future integrations planned for Shop Pay and 1Password.

Muse is now rolling out across the United States for free on iOS, Android, and muse.ai, with premium subscription tiers and support for AI glasses expected in the future. Later this year, Meta plans to introduce Muse Confidential VM, a premium tier offering complete end-to-end data encryption controlled by a user-held key.