Meta Takes Muse AI Agent to 200 Million Small Businesses as It Weighs Fees and Subscriptions to Cash In on AI

MENLO PARK, Calif. — Meta Platforms is expanding its new artificial intelligence agent, Muse, into the small-business market and weighing fees and subscriptions as ways to make money from the fast-growing product, a top executive said this week.

Dina Powell McCormick, Meta's president and vice chairman, told CNBC on Wednesday that Muse has become the most downloaded app on Apple's App Store, with millions of downloads since its launch earlier this month. She said the company sees opportunities to turn the agent into a broader commercial platform serving consumers, businesses and online shoppers.

From chatbot to digital assistant

Meta introduced Muse on Sept. 8, describing it as a personal AI agent that can act on users' behalf rather than simply answer questions. The service can plan travel, handle everyday tasks, shop online and complete transactions, according to the company.

McCormick said that ability to take action distinguishes Muse from traditional AI tools.

At Meta's Connect developer conference last week, Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang said Muse had already helped users save money on insurance, track down unclaimed refunds and negotiate a cable bill down by $85 a month.

Expanding to small businesses

Meta is now extending the product through Muse for Small Business, a version designed to help business owners manage day-to-day operations.

The tool can start conversations with customers, manage cash flow and inventory, build websites and communicate directly with customers, according to McCormick.

The move gives Meta a direct path to roughly 200 million small-business owners who already use its platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. That would allow Meta to deepen relationships that have historically centered on advertising and expand into AI-powered business services.

McCormick said small businesses using Muse report reclaiming one to three hours a day, giving owners more time to focus on running and growing their companies.

Partnerships broaden reach

Meta is integrating partners including Shopify, Slack and Walmart into Muse, allowing users and businesses to manage inventory, communicate with customers and complete purchases through the platform.

At Connect, Wang also announced that retailers including Walmart, Best Buy, Gap, Sephora, Wayfair, Dick's Sporting Goods, Ulta Beauty and Fanatics would integrate with Muse to power in-app shopping, along with productivity tools such as Box, GitHub, Granola and Notion.

How Meta plans to make money

The expansion comes as Meta outlines how it intends to profit from the product.

McCormick said the company is considering charging a fee when Muse helps users save money and could also pursue subscriptions as people use the service more.

"Muse right now helps a lot of people save money, and so we're thinking through, as Mark described last week, the potential of taking a fee when we help you save money," McCormick said.

"And we're already seeing people that have downloaded Muse are so excited to use it even more. So, the more you use it, we may have opportunities, obviously, for subscriptions as well," she added.

Her comments built on remarks by CEO Mark Zuckerberg at Meta Connect on Sept. 23, where he described what he called a novel business model for the product.

"We're standing behind this by making Muse free for a huge number of tokens, with the expectation that over time we will profit by taking a small fee from transactions," Zuckerberg said.

Muse already offers a free tier with usage limits, along with paid plans for heavier users. Reports have indicated the fees from transactions would come from merchants rather than shoppers.

Massive user base

McCormick pointed to the scale of Meta's audience as a key advantage, noting the company reaches 3.6 billion daily users across its apps. She said AI products developed in Meta's research labs are also strengthening its core business.

The company has invested heavily in artificial intelligence, spending tens of billions of dollars on data centers, computing power and talent as it competes with rivals including OpenAI, Google and Anthropic.

Muse's rapid early adoption has drawn attention on Wall Street. The app topped the free download charts on both Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store in the U.S. shortly after launch.

Safety and privacy questions

Because Muse can access email, calendars, payment information and other personal data, its launch has raised questions about privacy and security.

McCormick said Meta delayed the launch to ensure the product was safe, encrypted and free of bugs before releasing it to the public. The company has said Muse runs in its own secure environment, with users choosing which services to connect and approving sensitive actions.

Consumer advocates have nonetheless urged users to be cautious about handing over financial information to AI agents.

Competition intensifies

Meta's push puts it in direct competition with other technology companies racing to build AI agents that can carry out tasks for users. The market for so-called agentic AI is seen as a major battleground, with companies betting that consumers and businesses will increasingly rely on AI to handle shopping, scheduling and administrative work.

Analysts say Meta's access to hundreds of millions of businesses and billions of users gives it a significant advantage, particularly in commerce, where it already plays a central role through advertising.

Investors will be watching for details on how and when Meta begins charging fees or expanding subscriptions, as well as how quickly businesses adopt Muse for Small Business. The company's next quarterly earnings report, expected later this month, may offer the first look at Muse's impact on Meta's financial results.