Meta claims millions of people are using its Muse AI to make purchases averaging over $200.
Wall Street worries that such shopping assistants will destroy brand loyalty and squeeze corporate profits. Executives from roughly 50 companies in sectors like travel, internet services, food, and storage told WIRED they do not see immediate disruption. Many insist their businesses will mostly benefit from widespread adoption of these agents.
Actual numbers are low
Food delivery app DoorDash described orders from Muse and similar agents as being in the “hundreds.” T-Mobile said, “We haven’t seen anything of significance” from agents. Hilton called bookings from them “insignificant.” Ally Financial characterised activity as “quite low,” while eBay termed it “very, very small.”
Financial experts suspected users might ask Muse to cancel unused subscriptions. Life Time Group said it has “seen zero” cancellations from agents. Public Storage and Hartford Insurance Group offered similar data. In India, delivery app giant Eternal estimated agentic commerce as “close to zero.”
Where the money goes
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on his company’s earnings call this month that more than 10 million people in the US and Canada had activated Muse. Over 25 percent used it for shopping, more than any other task and above the company’s expectations.
Meta declined to comment beyond the earnings call remarks, but pointed to partnerships with 10 retailers including Walmart, Best Buy, and Gap to simplify shopping with Muse. Many of them last reported earnings before Muse launched and haven’t shared data about it yet.
Early stage optimisation
Executives acknowledged agents are at an early stage. Immense public anxiety about AI technologies has left companies searching for lessons from the outset.
Chipotle chief digital officer Arlie Sisson told reporters this week that the restaurant chain discovered agents struggling to complete purchases because of issues with loyalty discounts or ordering after-hours. Muse’s debut increased agentic orders by a single-digit percentage. Chipotle is now tidying up its website code to help agents better navigate and satisfy the hungry humans behind them.
Similar discussions are underway at DoorDash, even though CEO and Meta board member Tony Xu said present hype about agents might be “delusional.” Costco and Extra Space Storage said sales originating from AI chatbots such as Gemini and ChatGPT are surging as the companies optimise their online content for the tools, so they plan to do the same for AI agents.
Costs and risks
Zuckerberg said Meta plans to charge businesses a fee for transactions facilitated by Muse, and he predicted that this source of revenue would eventually top the company’s massive advertising business. InterContinental Hotels CEO Elie Maalouf is taking a cautious approach in ongoing talks with Meta. “We haven’t come to any conclusions on what an eventual collaboration could look like, if any,” he said.
Security issues and errant orders remain top of mind. This week, Bank of America became the latest big bank to warn customers about giving login information to AI assistants. “If you do share your credentials, keep in mind that you’re responsible for activity resulting from that access,” chief client care officer Ashley Ross wrote in an email.
There is also the possibility that agents encourage comparison shopping in a way that hurts profits. Executives at many companies dismissed the notion. They suggested product quality, customer service, and brand trust would still factor into purchase decisions despite less human involvement.
Changing positions
Stances on agents are evolving quickly. Amazon blocked Muse last month, contending that users would prefer its own Alexa shopping agent. But this week the retail giant acknowledged that it anticipates working with outside agents. Insurance marketplace Insurify also blocked Muse but this week changed its mind after introducing technology to ensure agents could present accurate offers.
What it means
For businesses, the immediate threat of profit erosion does not match current usage data. Adoption is growing, but volume remains tiny. Companies are now adjusting their digital infrastructure to handle automated requests rather than fearing them. Partnerships are in flux, with some giants like Amazon and Insurify reversing earlier blocks. Until usage scales, the impact on consumer choice and corporate margins remains theoretical.
