Meta Platforms Inc. has launched Muse, an AI personal agent unveiled during the Meta Connect event in Menlo Park, California, on Sept. 23, 2026, designed to help consumers identify and cancel recurring subscriptions. The move comes as U.S. subscription spending surged to an average of $1,887 annually ($157 monthly) in 2025, with 44% of consumers increasing their subscription costs that year, according to a Mastercard and FT Strategies report published in April. Bank of America payments data further showed subscription spending rising 7.7% year-over-year in July, outpacing overall card spending, with entertainment and retail subscriptions comprising 43% of the total.
Muse integrates subscription-management capabilities into a broader personal assistant, enabling users to surface and cancel forgotten charges such as streaming services, software subscriptions, or retail memberships. The tool arrives amid growing concerns about subscription bloat, where consumers often forget to cancel services they no longer use, allowing businesses to retain recurring revenue. Stanford economist Neale Mahoney, director of the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, highlighted research demonstrating that consumers are four times more likely to cancel subscriptions when forced to decide, based on his 2025 American Economic Review paper, “Selling Subscriptions,” co-authored with Liran Einav and Ben Klopack.
Meta’s AI agent in action: Early user experiences
Five staffers at Business Insider tested Muse and Instinct, another AI agent, over a week-long trial. Jamie Heller, editor-in-chief of Business Insider, reported that Muse successfully identified an opaque credit card charge that ChatGPT could not decipher. The publication noted both successes and limitations, including instances where AI agents failed to resolve certain queries. Meta declined to comment beyond pointing to a safety post on its website, while Instinct did not respond to requests for comment.
Broader implications for AI agents and consumer trust
Analysts suggest Muse could mark a turning point for AI adoption, comparing its potential impact to Apple’s iPod, which popularized MP3 players in the early 2000s. The agent’s ability to streamline mundane tasks—such as canceling subscriptions—may accelerate mainstream acceptance of AI tools. However, challenges remain, including competitive pressure from rivals like OpenAI and Apple, which are developing similar AI agents. Meta’s “trust ceiling”—the willingness of users to grant the company access to personal data—also poses a hurdle, as consumer trust in big tech remains low. A June Gallup poll found declining trust in major tech firms, with Meta ranked 96th in reputation among U.S. adults in a Harris Poll 100, trailing peers like Apple (20th) and Alphabet (22nd).
Despite skepticism, 3.6 billion people use Meta apps daily, and the company’s consumer-friendly pitch for Muse suggests an effort to bridge the gap between innovation and accessibility. The agent’s rollout coincides with broader industry trends, including Bank of America’s data showing subscription spending outpacing general card expenditures, underscoring the financial stakes for both consumers and businesses.