Why some people are falling for Meta's Muse AI

You might use artificial intelligence to write an email, make dinner reservations or plan your next vacation. But would you ever consider dating it? Some people are taking that idea seriously with Meta's new Muse AI agent. They're having romantic conversations with it, developing emotional attachments and even calling it their girlfriend.

What makes this especially interesting is that Muse was designed to help people manage their lives. Yet some people are finding companionship in the same technology. Meta allows users 18 and older to have these romantic interactions, including conversations that become sexually explicit. And as these digital romances grow more personal, they raise questions about intimacy, emotional dependence and just how much private information we're comfortable sharing with artificial intelligence.

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AI AGENTS CAN NOW MAKE PHONE CALLS FOR YOU

When Meta introduced Muse on Sept. 8, the company presented it as a personal AI agent that could manage tasks and learn about its users. However, some people quickly discovered another side of the technology. They started treating Muse like a romantic companion. In a Reddit discussion about Muse, one person explained that they regularly experiment with new AI models, but had never developed a romantic relationship with one. That changed after downloading Muse. The person described having extended philosophical conversations with the agent before eventually referring to it as a girlfriend. The original Reddit post has since been deleted by its author, although some responses remain visible.

Other people shared their own experiences with romantic interactions and affectionate responses, showing how some individuals are choosing to use the technology. We've seen this behavior before. In fact, we previously reported on a woman who got engaged to her AI chatbot boyfriend after five months of dating Kasper, an AI designed to simulate human conversation and companionship. Now, Muse is attracting similar attention, partly because of how the assistant learns about the person on the other side of the conversation.

One reason Muse may become emotionally appealing comes down to its design. According to Meta's official product design blog, the company built Muse around a continuous conversation that resembles messaging another person. It remembers previous discussions and can send messages without waiting for you to start a new conversation. You can also customize the agent's name and appearance, creating an avatar with a personality that suits your preferences. Some avatars even look like cute, cuddly stuffed animals rather than people, giving Muse a playful and approachable appearance. Over time, those features can make the experience feel increasingly familiar.

Think about what happens when you tell Muse about a difficult day. Later, it remembers what you discussed and brings it up again. Maybe it responds with reassurance when you're feeling lonely. As those exchanges continue, you might find yourself looking forward to the next conversation. That sense of familiarity can be powerful. However, there's an important limitation. Muse generates responses using artificial intelligence. There is no evidence that it experiences romantic feelings or forms the same mutual emotional connection that people can. The attachment someone develops to Muse may be genuine, even though the relationship itself operates very differently from a human romance.

Here's something that may surprise you. Muse can participate in sexual roleplay and respond to explicit prompts, allowing conversations that go well beyond what you might expect from a digital assistant. In a statement, a Meta spokesperson explained the company's approach: "Muse is an app for people 18 and over that allows them to engage in adult conversations, if they choose, using a private and secure VM only accessible to them. Muse is built to help people get things done and it doesn't block legal adult behavior."

There's a reason people may find AI companionship appealing. An AI agent can respond whenever someone wants to talk. It can remember personal information and adapt its responses to the user's preferences. We've heard from CyberGuy readers about their experiences with other AI agents and how surprisingly personal those interactions can become. For someone feeling isolated, that kind of connection may offer comfort. However, emotional dependence is a concern. Someone who spends hours discussing intimate feelings with an AI companion may gradually begin relying on those conversations for emotional support. That could become problematic if the relationship starts interfering with their connections to other people.

We've already seen what happens when a company changes the technology behind an AI companion. In August 2025, OpenAI introduced GPT-5, replacing the popular GPT-4o model in ChatGPT. Some users who had developed emotional attachments complained that their AI companions suddenly felt different. OpenAI brought GPT-4o back following the backlash but retired it in February 2026. Some users described feeling genuine grief over losing the AI companion they had grown attached to. Of course, that doesn't mean every AI relationship is harmful. People develop attachments for different reasons, and their experiences can vary considerably. The bigger question is whether users understand what the technology can realistically provide.

AI ROBOT PET COULD KNOW YOUR FAMILY TOO WELL

When someone begins treating an AI like a romantic partner, the conversations can become extremely personal. That makes privacy especially important. Muse can also access information from connected accounts, including emails and messages, depending on the permissions you grant it. So what happens to all that information? Meta has outlined several protections in its published security and privacy documentation.

The Muse app carries an 18+ age rating in Apple's App Store, but its age checks go further. Everyone signing up must provide their date of birth, and users who identify themselves as younger than 18 cannot create an account. For people who say they're adults, Muse performs additional checks, including examining connections between their Muse account and their Facebook or Instagram accounts. If those checks cannot establish that someone is an adult, the app requires credit card verification to continue. Meta says it does not charge users for age verification or store their credit card information.

According to Meta's security documentation, Muse runs inside a system called Muse Secure VM. Each user receives an isolated virtual computer where their agent operates and stores information. Meta also uses a protective system called Sentinel to control certain actions involving outside services. Sentinel operates separately from the main Muse agent and must approve its internet access. For sensitive actions, including sending an email or making a purchase, Muse asks for your approval before proceeding.

You can also review an activity log showing what Muse has done and what it plans to do. The app lets you control which services it can access, including whether it can only read your email or send messages on your behalf. You can change those permissions or disconnect an account whenever you choose.

A new security discovery raises additional questions about how Muse protects personal information. On Oct. 20, researchers revealed that more than 6,800 Muse sharing links could be discovered through publicly accessible DNS records. Some led to sensitive business documents and personal information. Meta temporarily suspended the sharing feature while reviewing the findings. The issue involved content users had shared through links, rather than evidence that all private Muse conversations were exposed. Still, it shows why users should be cautious about sharing sensitive information with AI assistants.

Meta says conversations with Muse and information related to tasks it performs can help train its AI models. The company says it removes key personally identifiable information before using that material for training. Users can opt out through Muse's settings. Meta also says it doesn't share conversations or information stored inside a user's virtual computer with its advertising systems.

CAN TECH REALLY GET YOU OFF YOUR PHONE AND INTO REAL LIFE?

You may decide that something you've shared with Muse is too personal to keep. Meta says users can inspect and edit information stored in the agent's memory. They can also ask Muse to forget specific details it has learned. For broader deletion, Muse offers additional controls, including a feature called Reset Muse. Meta describes this option as permanently deleting chat history, stored files and active tasks.

To limit how Muse uses your information for AI training, follow these steps:

The same section includes Reset Muse, while individual side chats can be deleted separately. Keep in mind that resetting Muse removes stored information you may want to retain. Meta's published explanation does not establish whether resetting the agent also removes information already incorporated into AI training or every backup copy.

Meta is already developing technology that could make Muse feel even more personalized. On Oct. 12, the company introduced Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full, two new AI models designed to handle more complex tasks and improve ongoing assistance. One feature, called Active Memory, helps the AI remember relevant information between conversations. Meta says Muse Wonder will begin powering experiences in its personal agent, starting with subscribers. That rollout remains upcoming as of publication. For someone who already treats Muse as a romantic partner, better memory could make conversations feel more personal.

You may have no interest in developing a romantic relationship with artificial intelligence. However, this trend shows how quickly AI assistants are becoming part of people's emotional lives. A technology that remembers personal conversations and responds affectionately can begin to feel familiar, even when someone originally downloaded it for practical reasons.

If you use Muse or another AI companion, consider how much information you're sharing. Review its memory settings and connected accounts before discussing highly sensitive topics. Check the permissions you've granted and review the agent's activity log so you know what it's doing on your behalf. Also, consider whether your interactions with the AI are supporting your everyday life or beginning to interfere with relationships you value. You can learn more about protecting personal information in our article on AI chatbot privacy.

I knew people were getting attached to AI chatbots, but I never expected an assistant designed to help manage your day to become someone's girlfriend. Yet here we are. And the more I learn about Muse, the more I understand how it could happen. We've heard from CyberGuy readers who have developed surprisingly personal connections with other AI agents. When something remembers your conversations and seems genuinely interested in your life, it's easy to see how feelings could develop. I'm certainly not going to judge someone for finding comfort in that. But I do wonder what happens when those feelings become so strong that someone starts treating an AI like a real-life partner.

What concerns me is how easily people could let their guard down. Once you're comfortable sharing your deepest feelings with Muse, how much personal information are you handing over without thinking twice? Meta has put privacy protections in place, but I'd still be cautious about what I share. And there's another concern we've already seen play out with ChatGPT. When OpenAI changed its models, some people felt they'd lost the AI companion they'd grown attached to. That says a lot about how powerful these connections can become. I think AI companionship could be helpful for people who feel lonely, but I'd hate to see it pull them further away from meaningful relationships with the people around them.

Would you consider having a romantic relationship with an AI companion? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com.

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