"We'll Never Rest in Digital Age": Mark Zuckerberg Launches Meta's Muse AI, Sa Chimes In
- Mark Zuckerberg announced the launch of Muse, Meta's new personal AI agent designed to help users achieve their goals around the clock
- Muse can handle tasks ranging from managing health and finances to coordinating trips, and was built with end-to-end privacy tools modelled on WhatsApp's encryption
- South Africans reacted with a mix of excitement and humour, with many questioning what the new AI tool could mean for jobs and daily life
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Mark Zuckerberg announced the launch of Muse, Meta's new personal AI agent, on 8 September 2026. He announced it in a video on Facebook.
Source: Getty Images
Zuckerberg described Muse as a personal agent that works 24 hours a day, seven days a week to help users accomplish their goals. Those goals can range from strengthening relationships and improving health to building a business or managing household tasks.
The Meta CEO gave personal examples of how he already uses the tool. He uses Muse to organise activities with his daughters, such as ordering ingredients for baking sessions and securing permits for mountain climbing trips. He also relies on it to track his MMA training and health, and to help connect him with researchers and people he wants to meet.
Muse can also scan for unused subscriptions, adjust fitness plans based on sleep quality, and help coordinate social outings with friends. On the privacy side, Zuckerberg said Meta built a Muse Secure Virtual Machine to keep user data private. A secure credential store protects passwords and credit card details so Muse cannot directly read them. The agent also checks in with users before carrying out sensitive actions like payments or sending messages. Zuckerberg added that Meta plans to roll out an even higher level of encryption, modelled on WhatsApp's end-to-end security, so that not even Meta can access certain information stored in a user's Muse agent.
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The app is free for up to 100 million tokens per week, with paid subscription tiers available for heavier use. Zuckerberg described Muse as the beginning of his vision for what he called "personal superintelligence." TechCentral noted that Muse is restricted to the US consumer market, but the agent's upcoming WhatsApp integration and open-source models present notable opportunities and privacy considerations for South African users and developers. Watch Zuckerberg's full Muse launch announcement:
SA stunned by Meta's Muse launch
South Africans were quick to share their thoughts on the announcement:
Bontle Sebiloane said:
"Digital job requirements from tomorrow: '10 years' experience in use of Muse' 😭 we never resting in digital."
Charmaine Malapane agreed:
"Bontle Sebiloane ey South Africa we see it all."
Global netizens shared their thoughts:
PinaydreamerinEgypt asked:
"I'm wondering what Muse can do or can contribute for a human being."
Wake up joked:
"I will tell Muse what matters to me immediately; let me dress up and wear my shoes first 😄"
Adam Jajere said:
"Mark, you are more than AI 😂, then I will ask Muse to give me advice on how to improve myself by what I'm doing."
Noor Ali added:
"Mark, if Muse can also do my work while I sleep I'm downloading it immediately 😂"
Science Lab Academy noted:
"A valuable lesson indeed. 💯 Education should not only be about knowing things, but also about understanding how to use that knowledge effectively."
Other Briefly News stories about AI
- A new artificial intelligence legal service launched in South Africa aiming to make formal legal counsel accessible to ordinary citizens for R5 a day using airtime.
- Cape Town journalist Michaela De Lim sparked a heated public debate after publicly questioning government plans to integrate AI tools into primary education.
- A South African TikToker went viral after posting a hilarious video attempting to force ChatGPT to count sequentially from one to one million.
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Source: Briefly News
