Meta’s AI agent Muse gives out user’s home address without permission, sending buyer to his house

When Usman asked if a keyboard for sale on Facebook Marketplace was still available on Saturday, he received an enthusiastic and immediate response.

“Yep still available!” wrote Matt Robb.

The two agreed on a price, and Robb sent his Toronto address. Usman, wife and daughter in tow, showed up several hours later at Robb’s home and sent a text that he had arrived.

Robb responded, “yep I’m here!”, but he was not at home. Nobody walked out of the apartment building.

Usman sent Robb a picture of the building’s door and wrote, “Hello???? I am standing outside.” After 20 minutes of no face-to-face contact, he abandoned the sale. “Man if you didn’t want to sell it why did you waste my time man,” he wrote, and drove away.

An hour later, Robb, or who Usman thought was Robb, responded apologetically. “Hey really sorry about tonight, got tied up and missed you completely,” read the message, which the Guardian reviewed.

Usman had not contacted the real Robb. Throughout the daylong interaction, the human version of Robb never knew Usman had messaged him or had agreed to buy the keyboard. He did not know Usman had received his address or that he was waiting outside his apartment building.

Usman had spoken to Meta’s new AI agent, Muse, released 22 September in the US and downloaded 3m times. The company advertises the semi-autonomous AI product as a personal assistant.

Without Robb’s consent or approval, Muse had given out his home address, creating the false impression that Robb was expecting the would-be buyer at his apartment, he said.

The first message Robb actually sent Usman came 24 hours later, once he realized what had happened.

“Hey man I’m really sorry for the other day,” the message, which the Guardian reviewed, said. “I activated muse metas new Al and it literally took control of my Facebook marketplace and it gave you my address. Genuinely didn’t even know it had arranged for you to come to my literal apartment it didn’t ask me for approval.”