Meta’s new AI agent Muse has overtaken ChatGPT to reach the top of Apple’s iOS app chart.
The personal artificial intelligence assistant is designed to help users with everyday tasks like shopping and online admin.
At its launch earlier this month, Meta said it would assist people with converting “long-term goals into action plans” through a dedicated app.
“Once a person shares a goal with Muse, it helps them develop a personalised plan and coordinate their time and resources, then advances the work on its own,” the company said in a blog post.
“It can open a browser, fill out forms, and negotiate on their behalf.”
Agentic artificial intelligence is seen by the tech industry as the next evolution beyond generative AI apps first introduced with ChatGPT in 2022.
Leading AI firms like Anthropic, Google and OpenAI are increasingly promoting autonomous agents as the future of the technology, however banks and online retailers have issued warnings about risks for users.
On Monday, Amazon blocked Meta’s Muse from accessing its online store, claiming that “continued access by an unauthorised AI agent” violates its terms of use.
A spokesperson for Amazon said: “Third-party applications that offer to make purchases on behalf of customers from other businesses should operate openly and respect service provider decisions about whether or not to participate... We’ve requested that Meta remove Amazon from the experience.”
On Tuesday, a group of banks that included NatWest and Bank of America warned that using AI agents for online shopping could increase the risk of data breaches, scams and fraud.
“Consumers are unclear if AI agents will act in their interests,” the banks wrote in a report titled ‘Building Trust in Agentic Commerce’.
“They are concerned that AI agents may buy the wrong thing or spend too much – or even worse, lose their money to scams and fraud. They are not sure whether they will be protected or who they will need to go to if things go wrong.”
The banks called on the AI industry to follow five principles – transparency, safety, privacy and data, choice, and interoperability – in order to protect consumers and retailers.
