Meta launches Muse on Mac as Apple’s Siri AI beta reaches users

On Mac, Muse follows the launch of Muse on mobile and the web earlier this month, when it quickly rose to the top of the U.S. App Store charts. Meta says users can control what Muse has access to on an opt-in basis, and the app will always ask for approval before performing sensitive actions.

TechCrunch reported that the Mac app arrives amid intensifying competition between consumer-facing AI agents, which many in the industry believe will be the future of computing. That competition is disrupting the app industry, software-as-a-service businesses, and potentially hardware such as the iPhone. All major players now offer consumer-facing agentic AI, while other AI agents have gained traction through text messages.

One of the first breakout hits in that space, Poke, exited to Cognition in July. The newest AI assistant frequently mentioned in tech circles, Instinct, is said to be raising more funds at a $10 billion valuation. Muse and Instinct both rolled out voice calling this week as the competition to capture consumer market share accelerates. Mark Zuckerberg wrote on X when announcing the Mac app: “The team is shipping fast.”

Apple’s Siri AI, meanwhile, remained a beta. TechRadar reported that upgrading to iOS 27 did not automatically give users the new assistant. Users had to go into Settings, find Siri and apply to join the waitlist. The reviewer’s application was approved the day before publication, and Siri AI installed on the iPhone. Before the upgrade, Siri often responded to complex questions by asking, “Would you like me to use ChatGPT to answer that?” Now it can produce answers of its own, and a new Siri app on the Home Screen lets users type or speak to it. A floating globe animation appears when Siri AI is listening.

The reviewer tested five tasks normally handled with ChatGPT Voice. In the first test, about AI voice-cloning scams, Siri AI gave accurate information but delivered a long, stilted response with little personality. When interrupted with a follow-up question about the single most important protective step, it stopped and answered. ChatGPT Voice was more conversational and concise. The reviewer scored Siri AI 3 out of 5.

In the second test, Siri AI was asked to find a concert ticket email in a Gmail account accessed through Apple Mail. It initially failed, then found the message after the reviewer added “They’re at the Griffin.” Asked what to bring, Siri AI said only that tickets should be downloaded to the phone or printed. ChatGPT Voice could not search the Gmail account, but it found the concert date through a web search and gave broader advice: comfortable clothes, good shoes, a light jacket, a ticket on the phone with a backup screenshot, photo ID, a card for the bar, earplugs, and a rough meeting time and place if meeting anyone. Siri AI won the practical retrieval task; ChatGPT Voice showed better context. Siri AI scored 3 out of 5 again.

TechRadar noted that Siri AI is also supposed to be able to see what is on a user’s screen and answer questions about it. In the two tests reported, the reviewer concluded that Siri AI can now deliver useful information on its own, but it does not yet feel like a proper conversation, and its voice needs work before it sounds natural.

Editor's Summary

Meta has brought its Muse AI assistant to Mac, letting it work inside native apps while asking for permission before sensitive actions, as competition among consumer AI agents intensifies. Apple’s Siri AI beta is also reaching testers, and an early review found it useful for personal data retrieval but weaker than ChatGPT Voice in conversation and context. Both launches show the race to make AI assistants a daily interface on phones and computers.