Meta's agentic AI tool Muse has generated significant Wall Street concern about disrupting retail, but major companies report negligible activity from the shopping assistant so far. In a new analysis by WIRED, executives across roughly 50 firms spanning travel, internet services, food delivery, and storage describe current usage as minimal despite Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's claim that more than 10 million people in the US and Canada had activated the tool. The disconnect between Meta's projections and corporate reality reveals an early-stage technology that has yet to match its hype.
Food delivery platform DoorDash reported orders from Muse and similar agents numbered only in the "hundreds," while T-Mobile stated it hasn't observed "anything of significance" from agents. Hotel operator Hilton characterized bookings as "insignificant," and banking institution Ally Financial described activity as "quite low." Online marketplace eBay called it "very, very small," and in India, delivery giant Eternal pegged agentic commerce at "close to zero." Concerns about AI assistants triggering subscription cancellations also haven't materialized—fitness chain Life Time Group reported "zero" cancellations from agents, with Public Storage and Hartford Insurance Group offering similar assessments. Zuckerberg had stated on his company's earnings call that over 25 percent of Muse users deployed it for shopping, exceeding internal expectations and representing the tool's most popular application.
According to the report, Chipotle discovered agents struggled to finalize purchases due to complications from loyalty discount applications or after-hours ordering attempts, prompting the chain to clean up website code for better agent navigation. Muse's launch increased agentic orders at the restaurant by a single-digit percentage. DoorDash CEO and Meta board member Tony Xu suggested present enthusiasm about agents might be "delusional," though his company is still exploring optimization. Bank of America warned customers this week about sharing login credentials with AI assistants, noting "you're responsible for activity resulting from that access."
The report explains that despite limited current impact, businesses are already optimizing digital properties for agents as a precautionary measure. Costco and Extra Space Storage reported surging sales from AI chatbots like Gemini and ChatGPT after optimizing online content, leading them to prepare similar strategies for AI agents. Wall Street analysts worry proactive shopping assistants will undermine brand loyalty, spark pricing conflicts, and compress margins, yet executives across industries dismissed these concerns. They argue product quality, customer service, and brand trust will continue influencing purchasing decisions even with reduced human involvement. The financial stakes are substantial—Zuckerberg predicted Meta would eventually charge businesses transaction fees for Muse-facilitated purchases, with this revenue stream potentially surpassing the company's advertising empire. InterContinental Hotels CEO Elie Maalouf said his company is taking a cautious stance in ongoing Meta discussions, stating they "haven't come to any conclusions on what an eventual collaboration could look like, if any."
Corporate postures are shifting rapidly as companies navigate security risks and strategic uncertainty. Amazon initially blocked Muse last month, arguing customers would prefer its Alexa shopping agent, but reversed course this week by acknowledging it anticipates collaborating with external agents. Insurance marketplace Insurify similarly blocked Muse before changing direction after deploying technology to ensure agents present accurate offers. Meta has forged partnerships with 10 retailers including Walmart, Best Buy, and Gap to streamline Muse shopping experiences, though most reported earnings before the tool launched and haven't yet disclosed data about it. The gap between executive skepticism and preparatory investments suggests companies are hedging against a future where agentic commerce becomes standard, even if that reality remains distant. For now, the technology that some feared would upend retail appears to be struggling with basic tasks like applying discount codes and completing after-hours orders.
The early stumbles of agentic shopping may force companies to rethink how much operational complexity they've allowed to accumulate in their digital infrastructure. If widespread adoption does materialize, businesses that prioritize agent-friendly experiences over human-optimized interfaces could face difficult choices about which customer base to serve first.