Meta has started to capture the attention of Wall Street with the recent debut of its AI application, Muse. This move into agentic AI has also sparked discussions among industry experts on social media. Initial statistics provide a clearer picture of Muse’s reception among American users.
Data from Sensor Tower indicates that Muse has surpassed 83,000 downloads on iOS in the U.S., although it is currently only available in that market.
Despite achieving the No. 2 spot on the App Store’s Top Charts, Muse’s launch figures lag behind earlier Meta app launches such as Threads and Meta AI. For instance, Threads recorded over 4.3 million downloads on its launch day, while Meta AI garnered 108,000 downloads upon its introduction.
In comparison to ChatGPT, another prominent AI application, Muse trails significantly. Within less than a week of its launch, ChatGPT reached over half a million installs in the U.S. If you average that out, it would mean ChatGPT was acquiring around 83,300 downloads daily from the start—something Muse took twice as long to achieve.
However, these figures do not necessarily indicate a poor launch for Muse; it may simply be experiencing a slower growth trajectory. Currently, the app is climbing the ranks, having improved from fourth place to second on the U.S. App Store.
On the Android front, Muse is not performing as well, currently sitting at No. 338 in the Productivity category on Google Play, with download figures yet to be released.
In addition to its mobile capabilities, Muse is also accessible online and through WhatsApp, though these platforms are not included in the download estimates.
Early numbers are significant as Muse represents a major investment for Meta, which believes that AI agents assisting users will become the future of consumer technology. This initiative is as critical as Meta’s transition from Facebook as it aims to carve its niche in this developing sector.
Meta is not the only player in the consumer agentic AI market; various companies, including Google’s Gemini Spark and Anthropic’s Claude Cowork, are also competing. For everyday users, the primary competition seems to be between Meta’s Muse and Instinct, a new AI agent that operates via text and has recently gained a valuation of $2.5 billion.
Despite concerns regarding user privacy and security, Instinct has gained attention for its capabilities. In contrast to other agents that focus on very specific tasks, Instinct appears to be the frontrunner, bolstered by $350 million in funding and rapid feature releases. Recently, it introduced email addresses for all users and announced plans for a social network where individual agents can communicate with one another to help coordinate activities.
If AI agents are indeed the future, Instinct’s potential to create a new social network based on genuine relationships may prove to be more valuable than Meta’s existing friend network, which includes both known contacts and followers.
In recent days, Instinct has also released integrations with Stripe and 1Password, along with a feature for location sharing, allowing the agent to take actions based on the user’s current whereabouts.
The debut of Muse comes at a time that could also impact its initial figures. The app requires users to share more personal information with Meta, launching shortly after the company settled a significant $18 billion lawsuit related to consumer harms associated with social media. Moreover, Meta has faced various legal challenges and privacy scrutiny over the years, further influencing its public perception.
