Mark Zuckerberg says AI will improve your finances, so we gave Meta's new Muse tool 3 money chores — what it saved us (and what went wrong)

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has ambitious plans for the technology. In his vision for personal superintelligence, he described a future in which everyone has an AI agent that understands their goals and works for them around the clock.

Zuckerberg has also argued that the technology should help people improve their finances and everyday lives, rather than simply make businesses more efficient.

To see whether that vision could translate into real-world savings, I decided to try Muse’s free version for three tasks: finding cheap flights for my upcoming vacation, helping me sell my old camera and negotiating with car dealers on my behalf.

Finding (and booking) me cheaper flights

My first task was finding affordable flights from New York City to Tunis for an upcoming vacation.

International airfare can fluctuate significantly depending on travel dates, connections and departure airports. Rather than manually checking multiple airlines and booking websites, I wanted to see whether Muse could compare options and identify the best-value itinerary.

The goal wasn’t necessarily to find the cheapest ticket at any cost. A flight with an overnight layover or expensive baggage fees might ultimately be a worse deal than a slightly more expensive nonstop or one-stop itinerary.

Muse AI told me it could help me “find and book the flight — compare options for NYC area → Tunisia on Oct. 26, flag the cheapest fare, and only book after [I] approve it.” It also offered to track flight prices by watching the route and alerting me if prices drop or jump “so [I] can book at the right moment.”

I gave it my parameters — a flight after 5 p.m. on Oct. 26 from any NYC-area airport and taking into account carry-on luggage. I also asked it to search for flights in incognito mode, because I didn’t want the prices to tick up due to perceived demand. It responded: “On incognito: Airlines raising prices because they saw your searches is mostly a myth, but I search in fresh, logged-out sessions anyway, so you’re covered there.”

From there, Muse gave me every no-cabin-bag-fees option from the New York City area with suggestions based on pricing and timing.

Its response: “The lineup: My pick is the $595 Turkish from JFK (8:40 p.m., 14h45m, lands 4:25 p.m. the next day). The $462 Royal Air Maroc is cheapest if you can stomach the 33-hour journey with the long Casablanca layover. [There’s also] the $725 Air France from Newark: departs 6:05 p.m. and gets you in at 9:50 a.m. the next morning, 10h45m total, the fastest of the options shown.”

I was comfortable asking Muse AI to research cheap flights from New York City to Tunis, but I wasn’t comfortable letting it book my ticket because I didn’t want to share my credit card details.

My hesitation came after The Information reported a security vulnerability that could have allowed attackers to access sensitive user data. Separately, cybersecurity researcher Patrick Wardle identified a vulnerability in Muse’s Mac app that could allow existing malware on a computer to hijack the agent.

Although these reports did not establish that credit card details had been stolen, they made me cautious about granting an AI agent access to sensitive information. Meta has publicly acknowledged the concerns and has opened the Bug Bounty reporting program, which pays up to $300,000 to researchers for certain findings.

"We opened the Muse Bug Bounty program so researchers could raise these types of scenarios and help us continue improving the product,” a Meta spokesperson told Moneywise. “The issue identified in this bug bounty report requires a bad actor to convince someone to engage with a malicious link on Muse, similar to a phishing attempt on any computer. But it only works if the user asks Muse to summarize that link, and then clicks 'allow' on the prompt, which itself is marked with a safety warning. We are making the safety warning even clearer as an extra layer of protection."

Ultimately, I decided to let Muse help me research flights but handle the booking and payment myself.

Selling my old camera equipment

I also asked Muse to help me sell my old Canon T3i DSLR camera and accompanying equipment.

After walking into a local camera shop that buys old cameras and being quoted just $20 for my old camera, two extra lenses, RODE mic and camera backpack — as well as my old GoPro, its waterproof case, bobber, chestmount and carrying case — I decided to take matters into my own hands and list it online instead.

But selling used electronics can take more effort than expected. You have to research comparable listings, determine a reasonable asking price, write a description and decide where to list the item.

I wanted to see whether Muse could simplify that process by researching the camera’s resale value, helping me create an appealing listing and identifying the best places to sell it. Having an AI agent handle the legwork would save me coveted time and potentially help me get more money for something that would otherwise sit unused in a closet or go to the local camera shop for next to nothing.

Muse helped me first determine where to list and bring my camera and accessories, including a nearby Foto Care event in New York City where it would be appraised and bought in cash by check or for store credit.

From there, it also helped me create a brief I could bring with me to push back on another lowball offer.

“My research found exact matches — your bundle (T3i + both lenses, bag, charger, no mic) sold on eBay for $220-$225 in August and September,” it told me. “Dealers typically pay 40–60% of resale, so your play at the event: Open at $300 with the mic, aim to settle at $200-220, walk away below $170.”

With the agent’s help, I could potentially earn $180 to $200 more than the $20 the local shop offered me, assuming I could sell the equipment for Muse’s target price. The difference between the shop’s offer and my $300 opening ask is even larger, at $280, although that’s a negotiating starting point rather than a realistic guaranteed sale price.

But there was a limitation here. Although Muse did the research, it cannot turn those recommendations into money in my pocket on its own. I still need to take the equipment to a buyer or create and manage an online listing, communicate with prospective buyers and complete the transaction. Only if I give Muse my Facebook login details can it handle the Marketplace negotiations for me.

Negotiating a better car deal

My third experiment was perhaps the most financially consequential: getting Muse to help me negotiate with car dealers.

Meta says Muse can browse the internet, fill out forms and negotiate on a user’s behalf, with approval required for certain sensitive actions. Its official announcement also describes the technology as capable of helping users sell cars for more and lower bills.

I had my eye on a pink, used 2004 Jeep Wrangler Sahara. The vehicle, listed on Cars.com, was advertised for $24,394, with 42,832 miles on the odometer. It features four-wheel drive, an automatic transmission and a six-cylinder engine. I wanted to see whether Muse could research comparable vehicles, identify reasonable prices and help me communicate with dealers to negotiate a better out-the-door offer.

Muse could help me formulate messages to the dealer, think through counteroffers and identify questions to ask before committing. The experience demonstrated one potentially useful application of AI agents: Having an AI assistant research a vehicle, organize the numbers and draft a persuasive offer could help buyers avoid overpaying.

For me, the appeal was having a tool that could help me pursue something I wanted while keeping my financial goals in mind. Muse opened a browser window for me right in the chat, and it walked me through the listing.

“Cars.com rates it ‘Fair Deal’ but explicitly says it’s above the average market range — their good-deal band tops out around $20,578, so the ask is roughly $3,800-$5,900 over,” Muse told me. “The dealer already dropped the price $1,500 on September 24 (from $25,894), which tells you they have room to move.”