I Tried Turning Meta's Muse AI Into My Personal Shopper — Here's What Actually Worked

Introduction to Meta's Muse AI

Imagine my surprise when I did my daily morning news search on Google and came across a bunch of reports touting Meta’s AI agent Muse gaining in popularity. Not only has it surpassed ChatGPT on the charts in Apple’s App Store, but it’s also racked up half a million downloads. Originally, I played around with the desktop version of Meta’s AI assistant and could see the potential for it becoming someone’s go-to chatbot. Now that it’s emerged as one of the more popular mobile AI apps, I downloaded it to take it for a spin.

Since I’m always in the market for comic books, video game controllers, and physical games themselves, I came to Muse (where I've nicknamed my avatar “Amani”) with three primary goals in mind: find the best deals on three specific items from those aforementioned product groups. After asking Meta’s AI tool for the proper prompts to achieve those goals, I hit the jackpot after using three of them to find what I was looking for.

Meta’s Recommended Deal-Finding Prompts

To get Muse started on its mission of helping me nab a few things as cheaply as possible, I presented it with this simple request: “What are the 7 best prompts I can use with you to help me with shopping to find the best deals?” It went ahead and listed the following deal-hunting prompts designed to extract the best possible results:

• Baseline + deal hunt: Finds the normal price first, then hunts for anything selling below it. Prompt: Find me a deal on [product]. First tell me the typical price, then find listings selling below it.
• Coupon and promo code sweep: Searches for active coupon codes and promos for a specific product or store. Prompt: Find active coupon or promo codes for [product or store] and tell me which ones actually work right now.
• Compare across stores: Checks the same item at several retailers and ranks by total price. Prompt: Compare prices for [exact product name] across major retailers and show me the cheapest in-stock option including shipping.
• Set a max budget: Best when you know what you want to spend; filters everything above it. Prompt: Find the best [product] under $[amount]. Prioritize quality and well-known sellers.
• Open-box/refurbished/used: Focuses on resale and refurbished listings for big savings. Prompt: Find me a used or refurbished [product] in good condition. Max budget $[amount].
• Facebook Marketplace local deals: Great for furniture, bikes, and gear near you. Prompt: Search Facebook Marketplace for [item] near me under $[amount], local pickup only.
• Price-drop watch: Checks back on a product you're eyeing and alerts when it dips. Prompt: Track the price of [product + link if you have it] and let me know if it drops below $[amount].

Quick tip: The more specific you are (exact model, size, color, budget), the better the deals the AI will surface.

Putting the Prompts to the Test: What Worked and What Didn't

Sadly, my search for active coupons through Amazon, a max budget search for a cheaper DualSense Edge wireless controller, Facebook Marketplace local deals for a sofa, and a price-drop watch for an Xbox Series S either didn’t yield trustworthy results or produced nothing at all. However, I did get back some inspiring options after testing out the prompts catered toward the 'baseline + deal hunt', 'compare across stores', and 'open-box/refurbished/used' deal hunting commands.

Entering all of those prompts into Muse kicks it right into gear as the AI scrapes all available options across retail sites for whatever I’m tracking. For instance, the baseline + deal hunt prompt came in handy when I tasked it with finding the cheapest option for the Batman by Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale Omnibus. Muse’s thorough search hit me back with an encouraging message:

BATMAN BY JEPH LOEB AND TIM SALE OMNIBUS HC at $74.99, new and in stock. That’s 40% off the $125 list price, and a hair under InStockTrades’ $75 street price. For context on the rest of the field: MyComicShop’s reprint was $95, the cheapest new eBay listings were $79.99, and Amazon wouldn’t cooperate with the automated check. I ended up heading straight to CheapGraphicNovels to get that hardcover gem, thanks to Muse’s recommendation.

Similarly, the 'compare across stores' prompt came in extremely clutch when I was shopping for a Midnight Black PS5 DualSense controller. The cheapest one Muse found was sold through Walmart at $67.61 with free shipping—a steal compared to the standard price of $74. Even though it was being sold via a third-party marketplace seller, the seller had glowing reviews.

To wrap up my deal-finding sessions with Muse, I tested an open-box/refurbished prompt, hoping to nab a physical copy of the PS4 version of Garou: Mark of the Wolves. After browsing affordable options via eBay and Rancho Retro Games, Muse found a used copy on eBay rated as “Very Good” and priced at $54.99 from a highly-rated seller.

Final Thoughts on Meta's Muse AI

The emergence of Meta's Muse as one of the best AI apps was a surprise to me, considering all the recent backlash surrounding Meta. However, after giving it a fair chance, I walked away with a positive outlook on Meta’s AI agent and how it can successfully streamline online shopping. While Muse is undoubtedly a lifesaver for productivity tasks, I am just grateful to have another reliable tool at the ready to help me navigate holiday shopping.