Meta has enhanced its consumer AI agent Muse to place outbound calls to U.S. businesses, offering paid subscribers a new way to handle routine phone tasks through the AI.
- Muse places calls exclusively for paid subscribers in the U.S.
- Subscription plans start at $20/month for token access.
- Calls help users avoid tedious customer service interactions.
What happened
Meta's Muse AI agent, after a trial period starting in September, officially launched the ability to place outbound calls to U.S. businesses for paid subscribers. This feature is designed to handle calls that users typically find cumbersome, such as contacting cable companies, the DMV, or restaurants without online reservations. Meta reports that Muse has surpassed 10 million users and continues to develop consumer-facing AI tools to integrate into daily life.
Previously, only selected early adopters could test Muse's calling feature upon request. Now, any Muse subscriber can utilize it, with subscription tiers beginning at $20 per month for a set amount of AI tokens and going up to $100 for more frequent users. Other AI companies, including Google's Gemini and startup Instinct, also offer similar AI calling capabilities, highlighting a growing trend in AI handling real-time communication on behalf of users.
Why it matters
The introduction of AI-placed calls tackles a longstanding pain point in customer service: the frustration of navigating complicated phone menus and enduring long hold times to speak with a human representative. By delegating these interactions to an AI with seemingly unlimited patience, users can save time and avoid stress. This could mark a shift in how consumers manage routine service communications, making AI a practical assistant beyond simple digital tasks.
However, the reception from businesses is mixed, as many still hang up when they detect an AI caller. Advances in AI voice technology, which now more convincingly replicates human speech, might gradually soften this resistance by making it harder to distinguish AI from a real person. If successful, this could mainstream AI-mediated calls, but challenges remain in ensuring smooth business-side acceptance and transparency.
What to watch next
Meta will expand features for both paid and free Muse users going forward. While calling remains a subscriber-only capability for now, the company plans to introduce free users to new options such as creating a Muse email address. This signals an ongoing strategy to make AI-powered utilities more accessible and integrated into everyday communication.
Industry watchers should observe how businesses respond as AI-generated calls increase, including whether regulatory or ethical standards emerge around disclosure of AI agents on calls. Additionally, competition from other AI providers like Google and startups will likely spur further innovations and pricing strategies in this nascent market segment for AI-driven telephony.