Can Meta's Muse AI agent overcome trust issues?
Meta showcased its new Muse AI agent at its Connect event, but early testers question whether it offers lasting value and whether users can trust Meta with sensitive personal data. TechCrunch journalists debate whether Meta's consumer-first bet will pay off as rivals chase enterprise clients.
At its annual Connect event, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg signaled the company's intent to embed AI features across all its products. The centerpiece was Muse, a new personal AI agent, accompanied by a small Tamagotchi-style AI device that Meta says is intended for adults.
The move stands out against the broader industry trend: in the same week, OpenAI and Anthropic launched new models focused on coding and enterprise tools, while Meta chose the opposite path, betting on the consumer market instead.
Early impressions
TechCrunch's Sean O'Kane has been testing Muse for a couple of weeks. One early success: the agent found him unclaimed funds he didn't know existed, and a check is reportedly already on its way. Still, O'Kane described the feature as more of a one-time "party trick" than something likely to drive repeat engagement.
The trust barrier
The bigger question raised by TechCrunch journalists is trust. For Muse to become genuinely useful — for example, managing credit card details, canceling unused subscriptions, or flagging duplicate charges, similar to services like Rocket Money — users would need to hand Meta highly sensitive financial data. O'Kane pointed out that Meta's core business is selling ads, creating an inherent conflict with data privacy. He noted he would trust a similar feature from Apple more, since Apple's business model isn't built on advertising.
Notably, when he first used Muse, it didn't immediately try to pull in data from Facebook, Instagram, or Threads, which left a more favorable first impression. However, as usage continues, the agent increasingly pushes users to connect more accounts to learn more personal information about them.
