Meta Launches Muse AI Agent to Challenge Apple Siri

Meta Platforms launched Muse, an agentic AI assistant capable of autonomously booking flights, ordering groceries, and shopping online. The app rapidly reached the top of Apple's App Store, securing over 3 million weekly users. Muse offers a free tier alongside paid subscriptions priced at $20 and $100 per month.

The launch triggered a 20% increase in Meta's stock price, though analysts question the company's financial sustainability. Meta is spending $145 billion on AI data centers this year, and critics argue that consumer subscriptions cannot offset these costs. Unlike Microsoft and Alphabet Inc., Meta lacks the enterprise cloud services that generate higher AI-related revenue.

The app poses a competitive threat to Apple Inc., which recently updated Siri with improved personal context and on-screen awareness. Wamsi Mohan of Bank of America suggested that Muse could reduce Apple's services revenue by facilitating transactions outside its ecosystem. While Apple maintains a trust advantage regarding user data and passwords, the success of Muse indicates strong consumer demand for autonomous AI agents integrated into smartphone hardware.