Meta’s Muse—a personal AI agent capable of booking travel, filling out forms, and shopping on a user’s behalf—has already proven popular with the general public, but a new side project may hold special appeal for tinkerers and hackers.
On Friday, the company launched Muse Gadgets, an open-source project that allows developers to build their own hardware and connect it to Muse.
Meta provides open-source firmware (the low-level software that runs the device) and a Linux software development kit (SDK), along with project ideas to help users get started quickly. These ideas range from equipping Muse with a color e-ink display to loading it onto a USB drive that plugs directly into a TV’s HDMI port.
There appear to be few limitations. Users can build a low-cost hobbyist computer—using a Raspberry Pi or an off-the-shelf ESP32 development board, for instance—and then connect Muse to “your displays, buttons, sensors, actuators, and anything else on your workbench,” Meta notes.
The company has also set up a Discord channel to provide user support.
Naturally, Meta has tested the code itself. Nat Friedman, a product lead at Meta’s Super-Intelligent Lab, posted on X that the company developed a device called “Muse Home Link.” This USB-C device allows Muse to connect to a home network and communicate with other smart devices on that network, such as speakers and smart TVs.
In fact, Meta produced 5,000 Home Link units; according to Friedman, these are being given away for free to Muse subscribers while supplies last. Given that Friedman’s post about Home Link garnered nearly 30,000 views in just a few hours, it is likely that the free units have already been claimed. Friedman stated that Home Link shipments would begin in a few weeks.
While Muse Gadgets may have a limited audience, it aligns perfectly with Meta’s overarching strategy to transform Muse into a comprehensive platform that goes beyond a standalone chatbot. Meta is not content with merely marketing Muse to general consumers; it also aims to attract small businesses and large corporate clients.
Earlier this week, the company launched a version of Muse for small businesses—offered for free with usage limits—that integrates with tools such as Shopify, Dropbox, and Slack. Additionally, the company established a new business unit, Meta Enterprise Platform, to help promote its AI products to corporate and business clients.