Meta Muse is evolving at a rapid pace, as Meta announced a series of major updates that transform the popular AI agent from a simple chatbot into a full-fledged digital assistant with video calling, email, and computer control. Muse started out as a text-based chatbot, but you’ll soon be able to chat with it via live video call, using a customizable AI avatar. The development marks a new era for AI digital assistants and puts Meta in direct competition with the biggest players in the space.
Meta Muse was launched earlier this month and has proven to be an immediate success. According to The Verge, Muse topped the App Store and garnered more downloads than ChatGPT in the first 12 days of its launch. These impressive numbers have prompted Meta to accelerate its development cycle and announce new features in a very short period of time, capitalizing on the momentum that has built around the product.
Muse’s success is no coincidence. Meta has invested heavily in developing AI in recent years, with the Llama forming the basis for many of its applications. Muse represents the company’s most comprehensive effort to bring an AI agent directly to consumers, with a user-friendly interface and capabilities that appeal to both casual users and professionals.
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Meta Muse: New email features and computer control
One of the most interesting new features that Meta announced is the assignment of a personal email address to each Muse agent. This means that AI agent will be able to receive and send emails autonomously, performing tasks that you have assigned to it without the need for constant monitoring from you. In addition, you will be able to communicate with your Muse through this email address, giving it instructions or requesting updates on tasks it is performing.
Meanwhile, the recently released Muse app for Mac will gain the ability to control your computer . This feature allows the AI agent to interact with apps, browse the web, and perform complex tasks on your computer, just as a human would. This feature puts Muse in direct competition with Anthropic 's Claude and OpenAI 's Operator , which have already introduced similar features.
The integration of email and computer control represents a significant shift from passive AI assistants that simply answer questions to active AI agentsthat can take on and complete tasks autonomously. This trend, known as agentic AI, is the next big step in the evolution of artificial intelligence , and all the big companies in the industry are racing to gain an edge in this area.
Meta Muse Video Calls: Live chats with AI avatars
Perhaps the most impressive announcement concerns the introduction of video calling with Meta Muse. Until now, the main method of interacting with Muse has been through text chat, but soon users will be able to have live video chats with AI avatar . This fundamentally changes the way we perceive interaction with AI agents, making it more natural and human.
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Meta will allow users to customize both the appearance and voice of Muse avatar . A new model, Muse Realtime Avatar, will determine how the avatar moves during video calls, creating a more realistic and engaging experience. The ability to customize the voice is particularly important, as it allows users to create a digital assistant that feels truly personal and unique.
The technology behind Realtime Avatars leverages advanced techniques generative AI to create realistic facial and body movements in real time. This requires significant computing power and optimization to ensure the experience is smooth even on devices with limited resources. Meta has extensive experience in this area, thanks to its investments in the metaverse and VR/AR technologies through Meta Quest.
Meta Muse on Smart Glasses: The Next Big Move
Meta has also announced plans to bring Muse to the company's smart glasses in the coming months. This will allow users to chat with Muse about what they see through the glasses, creating an augmented reality experience that integrates the AI agent into the real world. Imagine walking through a museum and asking Muse about a piece of art you're looking at, or being in a foreign country and asking for translation and information about your surroundings.
See also: Meta invests in AI agent Muse to make up for lost ground in the artificial intelligence race
Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses have already proven to be a successful product, with millions of users worldwide. The integration of Muse into them will be a significant upgrade, transforming them from simple glasses with speakers and a camera into a complete AI-powered wearable. This move puts Meta in a strong position against competitors such as Apple with its Vision Pro and Google with its new AR glasses.
The development of Meta Muse reflects a broader trend in the AI: companies are no longer content to simply offer chatbots, but are seeking to create complete AI agents that can take on tasks, interact with the real world, and become an integral part of users' daily lives. Meta ,with its large user base and investments in hardware (smart glasses, VR headsets), is ideally positioned to capitalize on this trend.
