Meta Expands Muse AI Agent With Real-Time Avatars, Desktop Control and Keychain Wearable

Meta expanded its consumer artificial intelligence strategy at the annual Connect event in Menlo Park on Wednesday, unveiling a sweeping slate of new capabilities, hardware integrations, and transaction partnerships for its personal AI agent, Muse. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg positioned Muse as the company's central vehicle for consumer AI, reporting that the platform surpassed 2.8 million downloads within two weeks of its early September launch to overtake ChatGPT as the top free application on Apple's App Store and Google Play Store in the United States and Canada.

Powered by the multimodal model Muse Spark, the agent is designed to manage day-to-day coordination by connecting directly to user email accounts, calendars, and digital services. Meta announced that the software will soon feature real-time video-chatting avatars powered by a new underlying model called Muse Realtime Avatar, giving the previously faceless software a voice, face, and body. Company executives also previewed hardware and desktop integrations designed to embed the agent across multiple devices.

Expanding beyond software applications, Zuckerberg introduced a keychain-compatible physical wearable named Muse Charm. Equipped with a fingerprint sensor and a tiny screen displaying the agent's internal avatar, known as Jolly, the pocket-sized totem is designed to let users communicate with Muse via voice commands without unlocking a smartphone. Meta scheduled the device for a holiday release in December.

At the same time, the company detailed plans to bring Muse into desktop operating systems. Alexandr Wang, Meta's chief AI officer, demonstrated how the agent will operate desktop applications on Mac systems. Users will be able to delegate multi-step computer tasks, allowing the software to manage background operations while users step away from their workstations.

Users can manage permissions for computer use by opening Mac System Settings, going to Privacy & Security, and removing permissions for Full Disk Access, Automation, or Notifications. Additionally, Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses allow users to show notifications on the right-lens display.

Meta confirmed that Muse will integrate directly with its smart glasses line, activating via wake-word commands to log workouts, track meals, schedule appointments, and facilitate visual shopping. To support these transactional features, Meta secured integrations with payment processors including Stripe, PayPal, and Shopify, alongside retail partners such as Walmart, Best Buy, Gap, Wayfair, Sephora, Expedia, and Instacart.

Wang also announced that developers have submitted over 1,500 applications to build custom connectors for the platform within its first week of opening. Regarding monetization, Zuckerberg stated that Meta will provide Muse free for a large volume of token interactions, planning to derive future revenue by collecting small transaction fees from completed purchases and service bookings.