Meta's Muse AI Agent Becomes No. 2 US App

Meta's new AI agent app, Muse, has quickly climbed to become the No. 2 app in the United States, according to early rankings. The launch marks another major push by Meta into consumer AI, though Muse's initial growth is slower than that of Meta AI or Threads at comparable points. Muse is positioned as a personal AI assistant capable of handling real tasks: shopping, managing email, and planning trips. That agentic focus distinguishes it from simpler chatbots, and its rapid ascent suggests strong consumer appetite for assistants that can actually get things done rather than just answer questions. The launch also intensifies competition with OpenAI, Google, and other players racing to own the consumer AI assistant market. Meta's advantage lies in its enormous existing user base across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, which it can use to promote Muse and integrate it into daily habits. At the same time, Meta faces ongoing scrutiny over privacy and data handling. An assistant that reads email, tracks shopping, and plans travel requires deep access to personal information, raising questions about how that data is stored and used. How Meta addresses those concerns could shape whether Muse's early momentum translates into lasting adoption. For now, the app's No. 2 ranking shows that Meta remains a formidable force in consumer technology, and that the race to build the default AI assistant is far from settled.