Meta's personal AI agent Muse, released on the 8th (local time), is drawing a wave of reactions calling it "surprising."

More articles are running headlines that combine Muse with the word "moment" to describe a decisive turning point in the mainstreaming of a new technology or product. Scenarios are also spreading about the changes that personal AI agents like Muse could bring to the tech world.

So far, the early report card for Muse looks impressive by the numbers. After launch, downloads of the Muse app surpassed 3.4 million. It is not clear how long it will last, but Muse also took the No. 1 title on Apple's U.S. App Store, beating ChatGPT.

Muse was also a keyword at Meta's annual Connect 2026 conference held recently. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said, "Soon people will talk with AI agents in real time, and will be able to access agents through Meta smart glasses and the portable device 'Muse Charm' to be released soon." He repeatedly emphasised a vision of AI agents becoming ever more deeply embedded in daily life.

Muse was also a positive factor for Meta's share price. As of the 24th, Meta shares were up 18 percent from the start of the year. Looking only since Muse was unveiled on the 8th, the stock has gained 27 percent. That outpaces other big tech companies such as Amazon, Alphabet and Microsoft. The Information reported it was a significant reversal for a company that until recently had been shunned on Wall Street because of soaring AI spending.

Even so, the narrative shifts when it comes to whether Muse can sustain its early rise. Critics say there are plenty of hurdles to clear.

A Wall Street Journal report said a key issue is whether Meta can make people trust Muse enough to hand over access rights to various online accounts such as email and bank accounts. A survey by financial firm Oppenheimer & Co found only 8 percent of people thought that would be acceptable.

Another key factor is expanding cooperation with websites so Muse can buy products online on behalf of users. While Amazon decided to block Muse access, Walmart, Sephora and Best Buy chose to team up with Meta.

Moves by competitors are also a variable. OpenAI earlier this year hired the developer of OpenClo, an open-source AI agent tool that gained popularity among AI power users, and put the person in charge of developing a next-generation personal agent. OpenAI is scheduled to hold a developer event on the 29th, drawing attention to whether it might unveil a rival to Muse.

When the focus shifts from user numbers to making money, the hurdles Muse has to clear could be even tougher.

Muse is offered free within certain usage limits. In a report, Rosenblatt Securities analysed that for Muse to generate revenue, computing costs would have to fall "significantly" or users would need, on average, to buy more than 1,000 dollars' worth of goods through Muse each month. Meta takes a fee when transactions occur through Muse, and The Information reported that 1,000 dollars in monthly transactions is far above the current e-commerce market average or the average spending level on Amazon.

TechCrunch reporter Sean O'Kane (숀 오케인) also highlighted limits to the user experience with Muse. He said Muse helped him find unclaimed funds and he actually received money, but argued that such a function is closer to a one-off use. He added that features such as cancelling subscriptions or checking duplicate charges are tied to a trust issue over whether users can leave credit card information, Gmail accounts and the like with Meta.