Meta’s AI assistant Muse will soon be able to complete purchases independently for users at online stores that use Shopify. This further expands the capabilities of its AI agent: Muse will not only be able to search for products, but ultimately also place an order on the user’s behalf.
Muse is Meta’s personal AI agent that can carry out tasks on behalf of users. The assistant can, among other things, search for products, send e-mails and negotiate. The partnership with Shopify is intended to make it possible for the AI agent to handle the entire payment process as well.
The user instructs Muse to look for a specific product and can then have it complete the purchase. Muse performs the necessary steps in the background, after which the order is placed on the user’s behalf.
The development comes shortly after Meta introduced Muse as an AI agent that goes beyond traditional chatbots. The assistant is available via, among other platforms, iOS, Android and WhatsApp.
At the same time, Muse’s capabilities are under pressure at some online retailers. Amazon has now blocked the AI agent from automatically completing purchases. Amazon states that automated purchases by Muse are in breach of its terms of use and also points to security risks. Meta says it uses isolated virtual machines and monitoring to protect user data and passwords.
Shopify, by contrast, appears to be supporting the development by giving Muse access to the checkout process at affiliated online stores. This creates a model in which an AI agent not only gives advice on a purchase, but can also carry out the entire transaction on behalf of the user.
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