Mark Zuckerberg announced on Tuesday that Meta is releasing Muse, an artificial intelligence personal agent capable of searching for products, navigating checkout and preparing a purchase for the user to approve. The service, which will initially be free for adults in the United States, can also handle tasks such as messaging friends, planning outings and organising travel wardrobes.
Muse: Meta's new AI shopping assistant
Muse differs from typical chatbots by integrating with Stripe's Link payment service, allowing it to complete a transaction after showing the total cost to the consumer. Users can decide which of Meta's apps the assistant may access, and they can disconnect services or opt out of data training at any time. The company says that conversations with Muse will not be shared with its advertising systems.
Consumer scepticism and privacy concerns
A recent Vogue Business survey found that only 31% of respondents would consider outsourcing shopping to an AI agent even if it understood their taste and purchase history. Trust in AI recommendations was low, with just 24% of shoppers expressing confidence, while 72% said they would not share card details with an AI, 46% would withhold browsing history and 40% would refuse to provide location data.
Most participants had never used AI for fashion or beauty purchases, and only 2% believed an AI consistently grasped their personal style. The reluctance appears linked to fears of losing control over spending, as buying a television after a price comparison feels different from letting an algorithm choose the model entirely.
Meta's advantage lies in its extensive data on what users watch, follow, save and share across its platforms. This depth of insight could make Muse a highly perceptive shopper, but it also raises privacy questions. The company points to its 2019 Federal Trade Commission penalty of $5 billion over Facebook's data practices as a reminder of the scrutiny it faces.
The wider AI shopping race
Meta is not alone in targeting the checkout journey. Amazon introduced Alexa for Shopping, Disney is testing a conversational assistant in its store app, and Uber Eats offers a Cart Assistant that converts typed prompts or handwritten lists into grocery orders. Mastercard predicts that by 2030 one in ten shoppers will use a personal AI agent for purchases.
For Meta, Muse serves as a consumer-facing test of the CEO's multi-billion-dollar push to re-establish the company at the forefront of artificial intelligence. After a mixed reception to its Llama 4 model, Meta invested $14.3 billion for a 49 % stake in Scale AI and hired co-founder Alexandr Wang as chief AI officer, committing hundreds of billions to AI infrastructure.
Whether Muse gains traction will depend on how well Meta balances convenience with the desire of shoppers to retain control over their choices and data. Companies that can offer assistance without overstepping may ultimately win the race to the consumer's wallet.