Mark Zuckerberg is preparing to unveil Meta’s newest AI devices this week. The announcement comes as the company rides a wave of momentum from its personal AI agent app, Muse.
Meta is holding its annual Connect event at its Silicon Valley headquarters. The gathering has become Zuckerberg’s primary stage for revealing new hardware, from virtual reality headsets to smart glasses.
A bet on wearable AI
Zuckerberg continues to invest heavily in smart glasses and other portable devices. He sees them as the future of everyday AI use.
That strategy has drawn criticism, however. Several instances of Meta’s camera-equipped Ray-Ban glasses have surfaced showing people recorded without their knowledge.
Despite the backlash, Meta remains the dominant player in a still-emerging smart glasses market. Still, rival devices from Google, Samsung and Apple are expected to arrive soon. Meanwhile, industry researchers say the broader AI glasses category grew sharply during the first half of the year.
Muse becomes an unexpected hit
Meta’s stock struggled for much of the past year. Zuckerberg poured billions of dollars into AI infrastructure and talent, and shares fell by more than a quarter between last September and early August.
Recently, though, the stock rebounded sharply. Much of that turnaround follows the launch of Muse, an app that offers users a set of autonomous digital assistants for everyday tasks like ordering groceries, booking travel and managing finances.
The app quickly became the most downloaded option on both major app stores in the United States. In fact, Meta’s share price has climbed more than 20% since Muse launched in early September, pushing the company’s market value close to $2 trillion.
Overall, the app’s success marks a turning point. It comes after two years of Meta trailing rivals like OpenAI and Anthropic in the AI race.
Privacy questions remain unresolved
Muse aims to become more personalized over time. To do that, it connects to users’ broader digital lives, including email, financial apps and calendars.
That approach raises new questions about data privacy. After all, AI agents can still make mistakes or behave unpredictably at this stage.
Meta has already had to patch a security flaw. That flaw could have let hackers take control of a user’s Muse assistant.
Separately, Amazon has blocked Meta’s AI agents from accessing its shopping platform. That move is part of a broader effort to limit third-party bots on its systems.
Where Meta stands in the AI race
Meta remains the only major AI company to have released a widely available consumer assistant of this kind. However, competitors appear to be close behind.
Other agent-focused tools have started gaining attention as well. Most of those, though, are aimed at developers or corporate users rather than everyday consumers.
Muse is currently free for adults in the U.S., with paid tiers available for heavier use. Meta has said the app will not share user data with its advertising systems.
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