AI agents push into shopping and daily tasks as Muse, Instinct and Revolut escalate competition

Meta's Muse, released Sept. 8, can search retail sites for the best products, compare prices and complete purchases, CNBC reported. It quickly went viral, displacing ChatGPT at the top of Apple's U.S. App Store charts, and has surpassed 5 million downloads with more than 3 million weekly active users. Meta shares have surged more than 17% since the Muse launch.

The Verge reported that Instinct, a startup that launched its agent in August with an invite-only, no-marketing approach, has held its own against Muse and Dots in testing. Instinct became known for a straightforward, text message-based interface that handles chores such as booking DMV appointments and sending follow-up emails. The company was valued at $10 billion in late September, even after Muse's launch. It has no app and no monthly subscription fee for now; users need an invitation from a current user or approval from a waitlist.

Instinct founder Noah Shinn, an early employee of Sierra before starting the company, said the focus on a personal assistant for daily life separates it from larger competitors. “AI assistants are all we know,” Shinn told The Verge over email. “We have been solely focused on building a personal assistant for everyday life that just gets it.” He added that Instinct integrates into people's lives to turn conversation into action, unlike AI platforms that excel at answering questions and prompts.

Conversations with Instinct happen through iMessage, WhatsApp or email, The Verge reported. Users can connect it to services including Google Workspace, Slack and Notion, and log in to websites through a link to a “secure vault.” The lack of a traditional app means the agent is available anywhere texts can be sent and received, such as CarPlay or a watch. In testing, Instinct handled tasks such as finding age-appropriate swimming lessons and shifted focus when asked to check a neighborhood community center, though The Verge said the limitations of a robot operating in a human world remain real.

Sifted reported that Revolut is set to give its in-app assistant agentic shopping capabilities, ramping up the AI race among Europe's top fintechs. The report framed the move as part of a broader takeoff in AI commerce.

Wall Street is beginning to sort winners and losers from the shift. CNBC reported that companies benefiting from consumer inertia—customers not bothering to cancel subscriptions, compare prices or search for better deals—have taken a beating since Muse's launch. Planet Fitness fell almost 12% through Thursday's close, Booking Holdings dropped 11%, SiriusXM dropped 8.6% and Charles Schwab lost 9%. Goldman Sachs described the potential transition as moving from “search and shop” to “delegate and approve.” Today's AI shopping tools are still largely used for product discovery and recommendations, but Goldman sees them eventually executing more of the purchasing process.

Investors do not appear to be pricing in much near-term disruption for three retail holdings tracked by CNBC. Since Muse's launch through Thursday's close, TJX gained nearly 8%, Costco rose about 4% and Amazon slipped 1%, compared with a roughly 1.7% gain for the S&P 500. Amazon is an obvious target if consumers ask external AI agents to find products regardless of retailer, but it has defenses including scale, broad selection, fast fulfillment and the Prime ecosystem. Rosenblatt analyst Scott Devitt told CNBC that Amazon and other companies with strong value propositions are less exposed. Goldman said platforms with compelling prices, broad inventory, fast fulfillment, trusted consumer relationships and rich first-party data are likely to be best positioned.

Amazon has blocked Muse from purchasing products directly on its platform, even as Walmart, Shopify and Best Buy have embraced the agent, CNBC reported. Amazon has its own agentic shopping assistant, Alexa for Shopping, which offers personalized recommendations, product comparisons and price histories, and can automate purchases through features such as Price Alerts and Auto-Buy. CEO Andy Jassy said more than 350 million customers used it over the past year, while active users nearly doubled and interactions increased more than fivefold year over year in the second quarter. Customers who use Alexa for Shopping spend more than 40% more per order on average.

The bigger question for Amazon is whether it can remain the place where purchases happen while preserving the customer data and advertising economics that make each transaction more valuable, according to CNBC. Telsey Advisory Group analyst Joe Feldman said an outside agent could create distance between Amazon and its shoppers, even if Amazon ultimately fulfills the order. In that scenario, Amazon could still get the sale while surrendering some of the valuable customer data it collects when shoppers interact directly with its platform.

Editor's Summary

Meta's Muse, OpenAI's Dots and startup Instinct are pushing AI agents from chat into shopping and household tasks, while Revolut plans similar agentic commerce features. Muse's rapid adoption has already moved retail and fintech stocks, with investors favoring companies that can defend customer relationships and data. The outcome will depend on whether AI agents become a primary interface for purchases or remain a discovery tool.