Meta tests Muse AI agent calls actually performed by human operators.
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| Source: Mastodon | Original article
Meta is testing its Muse AI agent, which appears to place calls on users' behalf, but the conversations are actually handled by human operators in a call center.
Meta is quietly testing a new version of its personal AI assistant, Muse, that routes phone‑call requests to human operators in a call centre rather than letting the software dial and converse on its own. An internal employee message board post, seen by 404 Media, explains that Muse now “hand[s] requests to a trained human agent, who places the call and works it through,” and that the feature remains a confidential, pre‑launch product. Media outlets estimating the split between AI and human effort say roughly 70 percent of the agent’s tasks are still performed by people.
The revelation follows Meta’s recent patch to the Muse exploit that allowed attackers to seize control of the agent, a story we covered on 22 September. It underscores a growing pattern in the industry: ambitious claims of autonomous AI often mask substantial human labour behind the scenes. By positioning human operators as a “human concierge,” Meta can sidestep technical hurdles such as speech‑recognition errors, regulatory push‑back on unsolicited robocalls, and the need for robust safety safeguards before a fully autonomous rollout.
Meta says employee feedback to the test has been “overwhelmingly positive” and frames the trial as a way to gather data on safety and privacy protections. The company has not disclosed when—or if—the purely AI‑driven calling capability will be released.
What to watch next: whether Meta expands the human‑in‑the‑loop model to other Muse functions, how regulators respond to the blending of AI promises with human labour, and if the company will publish performance metrics that could influence the broader debate on AI transparency and the ethics of “ghost” automation.
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