Meta brags that its new AI agent, Muse, can be an all-around “personal assistant” that takes care of everything in your mundane little life, ranging from online shopping, to managing emails, to keeping tabs on your finances — and, hell, even picking your wardrobe, disheveled slob that you are.
Last week, it also announced something that actually sounded useful in an age where picking up the phone usually results in conversing with a bot: calling businesses on your behalf. No longer would you need to make an appointment, reserve a table, or wait through a phone tree on your own. Muse, Meta says, has you covered.
It would be an impressive example of a practical AI use case for the average person — if it were really, truly, AI. Behind the scenes, Meta is having some of these calls being handled by humans in call centers, 404 Media reports, despite employees practically begging the company not to go through with the charade.
It’s yet another example of classic AI industry subterfuge. Their tools are framed as powerful and self-sufficient, but in many cases it’s a façade being propped up by humans — often underpaid contractors, sometimes overseas — behind the scenes.
