Rock Band Muse Loses Social Handles to Meta’s AI Agent

Meta's newly unveiled AI agent, Muse, has claimed the @Muse social media handles that the British rock band Muse had used for years, though the exact process behind the account transfers remains unexplained.

The band, which trademarked its name in 1999, previously maintained the @Muse username on both Instagram and X. Sometime in early to mid-2024, the accounts shifted hands. The Instagram account change occurred in July, according to reporting, though some Reddit users noticed alterations as early as June. By the time Meta officially announced its Muse AI agent on Tuesday, the company controlled the @Muse handle on Instagram. The band's X account similarly transitioned, with Muse now operating under the @museband handle on both platforms.

The transition created some awkward moments during Meta's rollout. Initial posts from company leadership, including Mark Zuckerberg, about the new AI agent apparently tagged the band's account instead of the AI product, according to observations by journalists covering the announcement. Other Meta executives' early posts about the agent similarly tagged the band's account, which was later characterized as a technical glitch.

Neither Meta nor representatives for the band have publicly explained how the username transfers occurred or provided details about any negotiations. Meta declined to comment when asked about the situation. The band also did not respond to inquiries.

The situation has drawn criticism from some fans, particularly given the band's history of creating music centered on technology-related anxieties. Muse has frequently explored themes of technological oppression and societal concerns about how advanced systems might be misused, making the irony of their name being assigned to an AI product notable to longtime supporters.

This incident follows a pattern of Meta acquiring desirable social media handles around major company announcements. In 2021, when Meta rebranded from Facebook, the company obtained the @Meta Instagram handle, which had previously belonged to an independent motorcycle magazine that had used the name since 2014. The magazine's editor described the experience as feeling like a "punch in the gut" from a "corporate Goliath," though Meta stated it had not made legal threats. The magazine subsequently changed its name.

Similarly, when Meta launched Threads in 2023, the company did not initially control the @threads Instagram handle, which was held by American Threads, a small fashion retailer. Within a month, Meta had gained control of that account as well.

Meta has offered limited explanation of its process for acquiring usernames, telling reporters in 2021 that the company allows users to change their Instagram usernames but declining to detail whether it had contacted or compensated previous handle holders. The company officially prohibits buying, selling, or trading Instagram usernames, though valuable handles are known to change hands through unofficial channels. The situation reflects broader concerns about how major platforms manage username ownership and whether corporate interests receive preferential treatment over individual users and small businesses.