As personal AI agents such as Meta’s Muse spread, questions are rising over how they will change user experience. Decagon CEO Jesse Zhang wrote on X that personal AI assistants will also reshape corporate customer experience. He said Amazon blocked Muse while Shopify opened a dedicated checkout path. Zhang argued even big platforms may have to allow AI assistant integration because customers want it.

Startups are accelerating efforts to develop their own AI models rather than rely on those from OpenAI and Anthropic, driven by cost pressures, a desire to cut dependence and a push for greater control. Legal AI startup Harvey launched an in-house model based on Moonshot AI’s open-weight Kimi K3 after its gross margin turned sharply negative. Healthcare, customer support, fintech, coding and design startups are also building or considering custom models.