Beyond the App: Meta Opens Muse to Makers Hardware, Home Links, and a Platform Unlimited

Meta’s new personal AI agent, Muse, has already crossed one milestone after another, and now the company is handing creators the keys to build its future alongside them. Fresh from data showing Muse has outpaced ChatGPT’s early mobile adoption, Meta has unveiled Muse Gadgets, an open-source initiative that lets developers and hobbyists connect Muse to custom hardware, sensors, displays, and inventions of their own design. Coupled with a free giveaway of its own built device and parallel moves into small business and enterprise, the project is evolving from a hit app into something far bigger: a platform that lives everywhere in your pocket, on your desk, and throughout your home.

Consumer Adoption Surges Ahead

Before the hardware announcement, Muse had already demonstrated extraordinary momentum. In its first 12 days on mobile, the app saw 2.8 million global installs, and when comparing the same U.S. and Canadian iOS market, Muse recorded 1.8 million downloads versus ChatGPT’s 1.3 million at the equivalent stage. Daily active users tell an even stronger story: Muse hit 642,000 in the U.S. alone, nearly three times ChatGPT’s early figure of 231,000. It climbed to No. 1 overall on the U.S. App Store, surpassing every other app in the country. With deep integration across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, where over 95% of Muse users are also active on Facebook, the cross-promotion engine that powered Instagram’s Threads to 500 million users is now fully engaged behind Muse.

Open Source: Build Anything, Connect Everything

Where most AI assistants remain locked inside their apps, Muse is breaking out. Through gadgets.muse.ai, Meta is releasing open-source firmware, a Linux software development kit, and starter guides inviting creators to link Muse to the physical world. The project suggests starting points a colour e‑ink display, a TV‑connected HDMI stick but emphasises there are few limits. Users can run Muse on affordable hardware like Raspberry Pi or ESP32 boards, then wire it to displays, buttons, sensors, motors, or whatever else sits on their workbench.

It is a deliberate invitation to tinkerers, inventors, and hackers: treat Muse not just as a tool you use, but as a brain you can plug into your own creations. A dedicated Discord community offers support, shared ideas, and problem‑solving turning solo experiments into a collective movement.

Muse Home Link: The First Gadget, Yours for Free

Meta has already built its own proof of concept. Nat Friedman, head of product at Meta’s Superintelligence Labs, revealed the Muse Home Link, a compact USB‑C‑powered device that connects Muse directly to a home network, enabling it to communicate with smart speakers, TVs, appliances, and other connected devices. The company manufactured 5,000 units and began giving them away for free to Muse subscribers while supplies last. Interest was immediate and intense; Friedman’s announcement received nearly 30,000 views in hours, suggesting the offer was claimed almost instantly. Shipping is expected to begin within weeks.

The device underscores what the open‑source project promises: Muse will not be confined to your phone screen. It will sit at the centre of your connected life, coordinating your devices, understanding your home, and acting as the intelligent layer between you and your technology.

From Makers to Main Street: Every Audience at Once

The hardware push is just one front in a remarkably rapid rollout. Earlier in the same week, Meta launched Muse for Small Business a free, usage‑limited edition that integrates with Shopify, Dropbox, Slack, and other essential tools, putting AI assistance directly into the workflows of entrepreneurs and teams. Simultaneously, the company formed the Meta Enterprise Platform, a dedicated business unit to bring Muse and related AI capabilities to large organisations and corporate customers.

The strategy is clear: Muse is being built for everyone. For consumers, it is a personal assistant that books travel, manages tasks, and handles daily details. For creators, it is a flexible platform to power inventions. For small businesses, it is a productivity partner. For enterprises, it is a scalable solution designed for integration and security.

The Future Is Everywhere

What began as a chatbot is becoming an ecosystem that lives in your pocket, powers your projects, runs your business, and manages your home. By opening the code, giving away hardware, and expanding across every segment, Meta is positioning Muse not just as an app you download, but as a standard you build around. The question is no longer whether people will adopt AI, but what they will create with it next. And thanks to Muse, the answer could be anything.