Meta’s Muse AI agent can now call US businesses for subscribers
Meta has expanded Muse’s phone-calling capability to all paying subscribers in the United States. The AI agent can contact businesses on a user’s behalf, navigate automated menus, wait through long hold times and manage routine requests involving cable providers, the DMV and restaurants. The feature was tested in September and brings to everyday use a function Google demonstrated with Duplex in 2018, when automated business calls were still treated as a striking preview of AI’s potential.
Meta AI chief Alexandr Wang says Muse already has more than 10 million users, and the service is expected to gain a free email address soon. Muse is not the only agent that can make calls: Google’s Gemini, Instinct and xAI’s Grok Bot offer similar functions. OpenAI’s ChatGPT Dots and Anthropic’s Claude Duet do not currently support them.
The main obstacle is not making the call but getting businesses to stay on the line. Many hang up as soon as they recognize an AI caller, prompting Meta to test human operators during September. Google faced a comparable issue with Duplex, with human staff handling one in four calls at launch. More realistic synthetic voices may make detection harder, but businesses’ resistance remains a serious limitation. For users, the appeal is practical: Muse can remain on hold indefinitely and work through complicated phone systems without becoming frustrated.
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