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On October 23, 2026, Meta launched its AI agent Muse in Japan. An AI agent is an AI that takes instructions and carries out multiple steps on its own, such as researching or operating apps. Muse first became available in North America in September, and Japan is the first region outside North America where it can be used. It is available in the iOS and Android apps and on the web at muse.ai.
What Is Muse?
Muse is a personal AI agent that Meta announced in September 2026. When you send it a request by message, it works out the steps itself and carries out the task. The main features Meta highlights are:
- Carrying out tasks on the user's behalf, such as sending emails and booking trips
- Proactively helping users work toward the goals they set
- Continuing to work in the background after the user closes the app
- Suggestions based on past conversations
At Meta Connect in September, Meta also announced new features: an advanced voice mode that keeps working on tasks in the background during long conversations, Muse Realtime Avatar for expressive avatars (English only), and a dedicated email address Muse uses for tasks and communication. Meta says it will announce separately when these features become available in Japan.
Muse is powered by Meta's model Muse Spark. In October, Meta also announced the higher-end model Muse Wonder and Muse Spark Open, whose weights are publicly available.
Services It Connects to in Japan
Muse already connects to international services such as Gmail, Google Calendar, Instagram, Stripe, Shopify, Trip.com, Agoda and Klook.
For Japan, Meta announced it is working on integrations with the flea-market app Mercari, the household finance and asset-tracking app Money Forward ME, and the ticketing service Ticket Pia. Meta's announcement says it "will be moving forward with integrations" and does not say when each integration will become available.
Masahiro Ajisawa, representative director of Meta's Japanese unit, commented: "By connecting Muse with the services people use every day, we want to deliver experiences that are useful in a wider range of situations, from shopping and travel to managing daily schedules."
Pricing
According to Meta, many basic features are free, and subscription plans (flat monthly fees and the like) are available for those who want to use it more. Prices in Japan were not given in the announcement. Meta's pricing help page lists, in U.S. dollars, a free plan with usage limits, a $20-a-month "Power" plan and a $100-a-month "Maximum" plan. The page also says availability is limited to certain regions because the service is in a test phase.
Approvals and Privacy
Muse runs in Muse Secure VM, a dedicated cloud environment kept separate for each user. On the same environment runs Sentinel, a watchdog AI that manages Muse's communications with the outside world. According to Meta, Muse cannot see passwords or payment methods.
Before important actions such as sending emails or buying products, it asks the user for confirmation. There is a setting to opt out of having conversations used to train Meta's AI, and Meta says Muse data is not shared with its advertising systems.
How It Differs From Rival Agents
Proactive, always-on AI agents have become a competitive field. OpenAI announced dots in September, and Anthropic announced Claude Duet on October 21. dots is aimed at ChatGPT's expensive plans, and Claude Duet is for now limited to paying subscribers in the U.S. The arrival in Japan of an always-on agent that can be tried for free is a significant development. Differences in pricing and approval mechanisms among the products are laid out in our comparison of dots, Muse, Grok Bot and OpenClaw. That article reflects information as of October 5 and stated that Muse could not be used in Japan, but this announcement has changed the situation.
CoAI's take
Muse's launch in Japan is Meta's first step in expanding beyond North America. By highlighting integrations with services widely used in Japan, such as Mercari, Money Forward ME and Ticket Pia, Meta appears to be trying to broaden its uses to fit everyday life in Japan.
On the other hand, it is still unclear when the Japan-specific integrations will be available or how much the paid plans will cost in Japan. Using Muse means entrusting it with your email, household finance information and purchasing permissions. It is wise to start within the free tier with low-stakes errands, see how confirmation requests arrive and where the setting to opt out of training is, and only then add more services.
