Meta’s Muse AI Takes the @Muse Instagram Handle, Sparking a Branding Dispute

Summary

Meta’s newly unveiled Muse is a personal AI agent intended to act on a user’s goals rather than merely answer questions. Meta says it can send emails, book trips, fill out forms, organise schedules and make purchases, continuing to work after the app is closed and requesting approval when needed. It runs inside Muse Secure VM, a dedicated virtual computer that is designed to isolate user data; users can control the services it accesses and require approval for sensitive actions. The launch drew attention because Meta’s product uses Instagram’s coveted @muse handle, while the British rock band Muse now uses @museband. Fans interpreted the change as Meta displacing the band, which has used the Muse name since 1994 and has millions of followers. However, the article says there is no public evidence that Meta forcibly took the username: fans had noticed the band’s switch by early June, months before the AI launch, and the reason the handle changed hands is unknown. The band released its tenth studio album in June 2026 and has reported two Grammy Awards, two Brit Awards and more than 30 million album sales. The account remains @museband, while Meta’s AI product holds @muse.