Meta's new AI agent Muse now controls social media handles once used by the band Muse
Meta's newly launched AI agent Muse is now using the @Muse handle on Instagram and X, previously used for years by the British rock band of the same name. How the handles changed hands remains unexplained.
On Tuesday, Meta officially unveiled its new AI agent named Muse. It turned out the agent was already using the @Muse handle on both Instagram and X — accounts long associated with the British rock band Muse, which trademarked its name back in 1999.
According to various reports, the band's Instagram username appeared to shift to @museband over the summer, with some noting the change in July and others spotting it as early as June. A similar switch occurred on X, where the band also now goes by @museband, though the exact timing of that change is unclear.
The transition caused some confusion even within Meta: early posts from CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other executives promoting the new AI agent apparently tagged the band's account by mistake, in what one reporter described as a bug.
Some fans expressed disappointment that the band's name is now tied to an AI product, especially given that Muse's music often explores anxieties about technology and its potential use for social control. Neither Meta nor representatives for the band responded to requests for comment.
Not the first such case
This isn't the first time a coveted handle has landed in Meta's hands around a major announcement. In 2021, when Facebook rebranded as Meta, the company acquired the @Meta Instagram handle previously used by an independent motorcycle magazine, whose editor said losing it felt like a gut punch; the magazine later changed its name. Similarly, when Threads launched in 2023, Meta didn't initially control @threads on Instagram — that belonged to a small clothing retailer — but gained control of it a month later.
Meta officially prohibits buying or selling usernames but acknowledges that people are free to change their own handles. Similar disputes have played out on X as well, where former holders of handles such as @X and @music reported having their usernames reassigned without much say in the matter.
