Meta’s new AI assistant, Muse, is being widely described as unsettling by users, after several reports detailed how deeply the tool monitors personal habits and data, despite being marketed as a helpful everyday AI agent.
Muse is being heavily promoted on Instagram and Facebook as an AI assistant for casual users. Once installed, it can be linked to accounts such as email and banking, after which it works on assigned tasks in the background while building what Meta describes as a “curated long-term memory” to improve its suggestions over time.
However, several users who tested Muse reported troubling experiences. Writing in Inc Magazine, Jason Aten described how Muse began referencing specific details from text messages he had sent through Apple’s Messages app, despite never granting the AI permission to access them. When questioned, the AI claimed it had been monitoring his notifications to piece together his message history, but could not clearly explain how it had done so. Meta Superintelligence Labs employee David Singleton later responded, stating that Muse does not scan notifications directly, and suggested Aten may have unknowingly enabled data-syncing permissions. Aten maintains he never granted such access and says Meta has not provided a clear explanation.
Writing in Wired, Reece Rogers detailed a similarly invasive experience, describing how Muse offered to link his real bank balance to a savings tracker after he mentioned wanting to save for a vacation. The AI also suggested scanning his entire email inbox, photographing important documents, tracking his meals through photos, and monitoring the expiry dates of his passport and driving licence. Rogers said nearly every interaction with the tool began to feel like an attempt to extract more personal data on Meta’s behalf.
The reports suggest a level of data-gathering that stands out even by the standards of AI assistants, with most companies in the space typically cautious about appearing overly intrusive. Meta has not issued a detailed public response to the specific concerns raised by Aten and Rogers regarding Muse’s data access and behaviour.
(Source: Futurism)
