Meta has released Muse, an AI agent designed to automate tedious household tasks and administrative chores that users typically procrastinate on. A journalist tested the system by delegating various assignments over a morning and found it performed significantly better than expected, particularly for shopping and email-related tasks. The technology represents a tangible step towards the long-promised future of AI assistants handling everyday inconveniences.

The agent, which features a customisable avatar (the journalist selected a snowman-puppy hybrid named Marley), successfully completed several tasks including drafting and sending a follow-up email to a landscaper regarding a backyard renovation bid, and locating and adding a £7 replacement steam wand assembly to a shopping cart for an espresso machine. Marley demonstrated capability in accessing Gmail, researching products online, and managing multiple concurrent requests through virtual browser windows, though human intervention was required to finalise the espresso machine purchase. The agent's efficiency at handling shopping transactions was particularly noteworthy.