Can Muse make us forget the metaverse?

This column discusses artificial intelligence (AI). The writer attended a Meta developer conference in 2016, where the company released a bot platform for Facebook Messenger. This platform allowed rudimentary machine-learning models to help companies like 1-800-FLOWERS, CNN, and others build automated systems to interact with customers.

At the time, there was a strong interest in bots that would shift more internet activity to messaging apps. However, Meta soon realized that the opportunity was a mirage, and the bot-building apps shut down by 2018. David Marcus, who ran Facebook Messenger, left to pursue the company's next big idea: creating its own cryptocurrency, which never materialized.

During a recent developer conference, Meta's CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a new product called Muse, a personal agent that aims to become a "personal superintelligence" used by billions of people worldwide. Muse can perform various tasks such as filling out forms, making reservations, and paying bills. It will be integrated into Meta's virtual reality products and comes with a new hardware device called the Muse Charm, a strapless smartwatch with a screen for interacting with the animated agent. Meta plans to release the Charm later this year, though pricing has not been disclosed.

While Meta's focus on Muse shows enthusiasm for the product, the writer questions the long-term potential of Muse as a consumer product. Managing AI agents can be tiresome and feels more like enterprise software than a fast-growing consumer product. Zuckerberg acknowledged that AI will be more important than virtual reality and the metaverse, which he previously believed would become mass-market phenomena.

The writer notes that this shift in focus is a smart move for Meta, but the company's recent announcement of Muse may be an attempt to convey a sense of momentum amid increasing capital expenditures.