Meta launches its Muse AI agent in Japan

Meta Platforms said on Friday that it started its personal AI agent Muse in Japan. This is its first market after North America. Users give instructions by text or voice in a phone app. Basic features are free of charge. Muse can summarize unread emails and manage schedules when the user connects Gmail and Google Calendar.

How it works

The user chooses which apps and information Muse can use. Muse can make suggestions from conversations before. Meta plans to connect it with Mercari, an online flea market, and Money Forward ME, a finance app. The source gives no date for this.

The numbers

Meta gave no user numbers and no test results for Japan. It gave no price for paid features.

What is not known

Meta says Muse cannot see passwords or credit card numbers. No other group has done a test of this claim. Masahiro Ajisawa, head of the Japanese unit, said Meta wants to connect Muse with services that persons use each day.

Insight: The free agent seems to be a path to sales income

Meta said on 21 October that Muse has more than 10 million users. Meta plans to get a share of the sales made through it. In Japan, basic features are free and a connection to Mercari is next. This reads as a toll gate. The free agent gives Meta the users, and Meta can earn when the agent buys for them. Online sellers in Japan can see Muse as a buyer.