Meta is seeing growing interest in its artificial intelligence assistant, Muse, which has attracted more than 10 million users. The company announced the milestone during its third-quarter earnings call on October 21, 2026, highlighting the platform’s growing role in online shopping, personal productivity, and AI-powered digital experiences.
Beyond its expanding audience, Meta is paying close attention to how people interact with Muse and whether those activities can develop into a sustainable business.
Shopping Emerges as a Major Use Case
One of the most notable findings from Meta’s latest update is the popularity of AI-assisted shopping. According to CEO Mark Zuckerberg, more than 25% of Muse users who actively engaged with its shopping capabilities had an average purchase value exceeding $200.
This level of spending suggests that AI assistants could become more than tools for finding information or comparing products. They may increasingly help consumers move from product discovery to purchasing decisions.
Muse supports these experiences through a connection with Plaid, a financial technology platform that links applications with users’ bank accounts. Zuckerberg said Plaid had observed unusually strong activity through its integration with Muse compared with other services.
The figures point to an emerging opportunity for retailers and online businesses to engage customers through AI-driven shopping experiences rather than relying exclusively on traditional websites and search-based discovery.
Daily Engagement and Productivity Features
Meta also reported encouraging engagement figures. Approximately one-quarter of people who have set up Muse now use it daily, indicating that the assistant is becoming part of some users’ regular digital routines.
Shopping is not its only popular application. Users are also connecting Muse with personal productivity tools, including email accounts and calendars, to help manage everyday activities.
These integrations allow AI assistants to operate with more context, potentially helping users organize information and complete tasks more efficiently.
However, access to personal information introduces important privacy considerations. Meta says its Muse Secure VM feature is designed to protect user data. The company has also outlined plans for a forthcoming Muse Confidential VM, which it says will prevent Meta itself from viewing users’ content.
As AI assistants become more closely connected to personal accounts and financial activities, transparent privacy safeguards will be essential to maintaining user confidence.
Meta Explores New Revenue Opportunities
With Muse showing signs of product-market fit, Meta is shifting its attention toward expanding adoption, increasing revenue, and reducing operating costs.
The company’s proposed business model combines free access for most users with a potential share of transactions completed through the platform. Customers seeking access to more advanced AI models or higher usage limits may also be offered paid options.
Zuckerberg suggested that Muse could eventually generate more annual revenue per user than Meta’s existing family of applications, which includes Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger.
Achieving that ambition will depend on sustained engagement, meaningful commercial activity, and the ability to convert usage into revenue without making the experience less attractive to consumers.
Computing Costs Remain a Key Challenge
Operating sophisticated AI assistants requires substantial computing resources. Meta acknowledges that Muse is currently expensive to run, making infrastructure efficiency an important part of its long-term strategy.
During the earnings call, Zuckerberg said the company aims to improve Muse’s computing cost efficiency by more than tenfold over the following year. Meta is also developing capacity to support more than one billion people using its AI services over the coming years.
If those efficiency improvements materialize alongside revenue growth, they could help the company move toward profitability as Muse scales.
Connecting Muse With Smart Glasses and Other AI Agents
Muse is also expected to play a significant role in Meta’s smart glasses strategy. The company continues to invest in wearable technology and augmented reality, even as its Reality Labs division faces substantial financial losses.
Zuckerberg additionally introduced the idea of a future Muse network, where users’ AI assistants could interact with assistants belonging to friends and family. Rather than simply visiting a retailer’s website, consumers might communicate directly with a business’s AI agent to explore products and make purchases.
This concept could eventually reshape how people discover brands, shop online, and coordinate tasks with others.
What This Means for the AI Industry
Muse’s growing user base demonstrates the potential for AI assistants to combine productivity, commerce, and personalized digital services within a single platform.
For businesses, the opportunity lies in preparing for a future where AI agents may influence product discovery and purchasing decisions. For Meta, the challenge is turning early adoption into a profitable, trusted, and scalable service.
The next stage of Muse’s development will depend on how effectively the company balances user experience, privacy, computing costs, and commercial growth.
