Meta released Muse for macOS this week, its AI assistant that performs actions directly inside the system's native apps. The app had already landed on mobile and web in early September, when it hit the top of the app store in the United States. On the Mac, Muse can read and modify files, messages, calendar, notes and emails without the user leaving the original application environment.
The company says access to each resource is optional and can be controlled by the user. The model runs locally and, according to Meta, keeps data on the device during command processing, but relies on an internet connection for advanced features. The move intensifies the competition among AI assistants that operate on the operating system, going directly against Apple's Siri AI and the more restrictive approach of the iOS ecosystem.
For IT administrators managing corporate Mac fleets, Muse's arrival represents a fresh vector for corporate data access. The app requests read and write permissions to user folders, contacts and message history, which can conflict with security policies that limit third-party app access to sensitive data.
Meta has not detailed how Muse stores credentials or whether it respects mobile device management (MDM) profiles. The Week in Tech recommends that security teams evaluate the permissions requested by the app before allowing its installation on corporate machines and, if possible, test the assistant's behavior in an isolated environment to check for accidental information leaks.
The app is available for free download on the Mac App Store. It requires macOS 15 or later and an Apple Silicon processor, according to the requirements published by Meta.