Meta launches AI assistant Muse that attracts 500,000 users in one week

Meta introduced an AI assistant called Muse that reached 500,000 users within the first week after its launch on September 8, 2026. The assistant is available as a standalone app in the United States and through WhatsApp, and it achieved the top position in the Apple App Store with more than 31,000 ratings. Muse is designed to help users with routine tasks such as travel research and booking, finding offers, tracking expenses, and solving appointment issues. The company described Muse as "strongly inspired" by the open‑source project OpenClaw, noting that file names and contents are partly identical, including a SOUL.md file that defines personality, communication style, and behavior rules.

Meta’s product chief, Nat Friedman, formerly CEO of GitHub, confirmed on X that Muse was "definitely strongly inspired" by OpenClaw but built from scratch, stating that the team admired OpenClaw’s creator Peter Steinberger, whom he called a "genius". Users on X pointed out the near‑identical file names and contents, prompting Friedman to say the team thought Steinberger "did those things exactly right". TechCrunch noted that Meta’s approach aligns with its history of adopting promising products and copying their best features, citing the acquisition of Snapchat’s Stories format as a precedent.

While initial interest is high, it remains uncertain whether usage will persist. OpenAI has also discussed developing a personal AI assistant in response to Muse, according to The Information. The brief does not include any promotional material from the publisher.