Meta has unveiled Muse, a personal artificial intelligence agent that can carry out everyday tasks on behalf of users, making its most ambitious push yet into consumer AI while raising new questions about privacy and trust.

The launch comes less than two weeks after Meta agreed to an $17 billion multistate settlement over allegations concerning the consumer harms associated with its social media platforms, putting the company’s handling of personal data under renewed scrutiny.

Muse is designed to go beyond conventional AI chatbots, which largely answer questions, generate content, and act as conversational assistants. The new agent is intended to take action across the services people use in their daily lives.

To operate Muse, users can connect individual apps and services, including email, calendars and payments, as well as health and fitness platforms, smart-home systems, dining, shopping, music and event services.

The agent can then perform tasks such as sending emails, booking travel, negotiating lower bills, completing forms, creating plans, turning recipe videos into grocery lists, sending invitations and making purchases.

For transactions, Meta said Muse will use Link by Stripe for checkout. The integration includes purchase protections, a feature that could help address concerns over allowing an AI system to make purchases on a user’s behalf. Meta said integrations with Shopify’s Shop Pay and 1Password are also planned.

The launch marks Meta’s entry into a rapidly developing market for so-called agentic AI, in which software is designed not simply to respond to instructions but to execute multi-step tasks with limited human intervention.

Companies ranging from major technology firms to startups are pursuing similar systems, including AI-powered browsers and assistants capable of taking actions for users. Others are embedding agentic capabilities into communication platforms that consumers already use.

Meta is positioning Muse around user choice. Consumers can connect apps and services individually rather than granting the agent access to everything at once. If a service is not supported by one of Muse’s built-in connectors but provides a public API, Muse can establish a connection using credentials supplied by the user. Where an API is unavailable, the agent can interact with the service through a browser.

Muse is powered by Meta’s Muse Spark AI model and operates inside what the company calls Muse Secure VM, a dedicated virtual machine with its own browser.

Meta said the system has been designed with separate privacy and security controls. A second system, called Sentinel, operates on the same virtual machine but is isolated from Muse at the system level. The company said Muse will not have access to users’ passwords or payment methods. Meta also said conversations and other data generated through Muse will not be shared with its advertising systems.

The safeguards are necessary because an AI agent with access to email, calendars, shopping accounts, financial services and other applications potentially has a much broader view of a person’s life than a conventional chatbot. That creates a different trust equation for consumer AI. A chatbot that produces an inaccurate answer can be corrected or ignored. An agent that can send an email, make a purchase, or change a service on a user’s behalf can create real-world consequences if it misunderstands an instruction or acts on incorrect information.

Privacy concerns have already emerged around other agentic AI products. Early users of the AI assistant Instinct, for example, raised concerns after discovering broad language in its terms that granted the service a “perpetual and irrevocable” license covering user materials, including rights related to access, storage, distribution, and AI-model training.

Meta’s approach is therefore built around limiting access and separating the agent from sensitive authentication information. The company is betting that those controls will give consumers enough confidence to delegate consequential tasks to Muse.

The service will initially be available through the web at muse.ai, as well as iOS and Android applications and chats in WhatsApp. Meta said Muse will also eventually be available through its AI glasses.

Muse will be free initially, although Meta plans to introduce usage limits and paid subscriptions. The company said most users are expected to remain on the free tier. At launch, the paid Power plan will cost $20 a month, while the Maximum plan will cost $100 a month. Both plans provide greater usage capacity for handing everyday tasks to the agent.

Users will be able to monitor their remaining usage through a meter in the app. Meta said users will receive warnings when their free allowance is exhausted and will then have the option to subscribe.

Muse is also designed to continue working after users leave the application. Meta said the system can learn from conversations about what matters to individual users and eventually make suggestions without being explicitly prompted. That feature could make the product more useful, but it also increases the amount of personal information the system may process over time. The more an agent learns about a person’s preferences, schedules, and routines, the more useful its recommendations can become, but the greater the consequences if that information is mishandled.

Meta’s challenge, therefore, extends beyond building a capable AI model. It must persuade consumers that an AI system with access to some of the most sensitive parts of their digital lives can be trusted to act on their behalf.

The broader consumer AI market is moving in that direction. The competition is increasingly shifting from systems that can answer questions to systems that can perform tasks, navigate software, and make decisions within boundaries set by their users.

Washington says DeepSeek, Alibaba and other Chinese AI companies used American models to accelerate development, raising tensions ahead of planned U.S.-China talks

The U.S. government on Tuesday accused Chinese artificial intelligence companies of systematically copying technology from leading American AI firms, escalating an already contentious technology rivalry ahead of a planned meeting between the leaders of the world’s two largest economies later this month.

U.S. law enforcement and intelligence officials alleged that six Chinese AI companies, including DeepSeek, Moonshot AI and Alibaba, used a technique known as distillation to extract capabilities from U.S.-developed AI models and accelerate the development of their own systems.

Distillation is a legitimate AI development technique in which the outputs of a larger, more computationally expensive model are used to train a smaller model. The approach can reduce the cost and time required to develop new AI systems.

U.S. officials, however, accused the Chinese companies of using variants of American AI models in an aggressive and targeted manner to reproduce capabilities developed by U.S. laboratories.

“China-based AI companies are engaging in aggressive, malicious and targeted distillation activities at an industrial scale,” U.S. officials said in a joint statement.

The officials alleged that the companies targeted AI models developed by Anthropic, OpenAI and Alphabet’s Google, as well as technology associated with SpaceX. They said the activity was “likely with Chinese government awareness.”

The allegations add another layer to the increasingly broad U.S.-China technology confrontation, in which artificial intelligence has become strategically important to both countries.

U.S. officials said the alleged distillation activity not only lowers research and development costs for Chinese companies but could also strengthen China’s military and cyber capabilities, potentially creating applications that could be used against the United States and its allies.

The accusations come as the administration of President Donald Trump prepares for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s planned visit to the United States in late September. Washington and Beijing are also preparing for an AI safety dialogue expected to take place in mid-September, making the timing of the allegations particularly sensitive.

The two governments have attempted to maintain channels for negotiations even as disputes over tariffs, semiconductor technology, advanced computing and AI continue to complicate the relationship.

The U.S. previously made a similar accusation in April, underscoring how concerns about Chinese access to American AI capabilities have become a recurring element of the broader technology dispute.

Reuters reported on July 31 that Chinese military researchers had used outputs from leading U.S. AI models to train domestic AI systems and advance Chinese defense capabilities.

Distillation Becomes A New Battleground

The dispute highlights the growing importance of model distillation as AI developers look for ways to obtain sophisticated capabilities without bearing the enormous computing costs associated with training frontier models from scratch.

For Chinese companies, access to the outputs of highly capable American systems could potentially shorten development cycles and reduce the computing resources required to produce competitive models.

But the issue raises a different concern for U.S. AI companies: whether restrictions on access to advanced chips and computing infrastructure can prevent competitors from replicating capabilities indirectly through model outputs.

That could make AI controls increasingly difficult to enforce. Unlike physical semiconductors, model outputs can potentially be generated remotely and transferred digitally, creating new challenges for policymakers attempting to protect intellectual property and restrict the proliferation of advanced AI capabilities.

The U.S. allegations also come at a time when Chinese AI companies have demonstrated an ability to develop highly capable systems despite American restrictions on advanced semiconductor exports.

The resulting competition is now moving beyond the question of which country can build the most powerful models. It is becoming a contest over access to computing, proprietary data, intellectual property, model weights, semiconductor technology and the ability to deploy AI at scale.

The accusations could complicate efforts by Washington and Beijing to stabilize their broader economic relationship before the leaders’ meeting later this month. AI is already one of the most sensitive areas of the technology rivalry because advances in the field have potential commercial, military and cybersecurity applications.

Washington is therefore facing a difficult balance: preserving diplomatic channels with Beijing while attempting to prevent American AI capabilities from being transferred or replicated in ways U.S. officials believe could undermine national-security interests.

Beijing, meanwhile, has incentives to continue developing domestic AI capabilities as it seeks to reduce its dependence on American technology. The situation makes the dispute over distillation more than a disagreement over software-development practices. It is becoming part of a much larger struggle over technological leadership, economic competitiveness and national security.

CardinalStone and Chapel Hill Denham see significant upside to the refinery’s N65.22 trillion indicative listing valuation, but warn that the investment case hinges on earnings growth, refining margins, and successful expansion

Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE could be worth between N77.7 trillion and N82.62 trillion, according to independent valuations by Nigerian investment firms CardinalStone Research and Chapel Hill Denham, placing the refinery’s estimated fair value significantly above the N65.22 trillion indicative market capitalization attached to its planned Nigerian Exchange Group listing.

The valuations come as investors prepare for what is expected to be one of Africa’s largest-ever equity offerings. Dangote Refinery plans to offer 4.1 billion new ordinary shares at N525 each, alongside its existing 120.13 billion shares.

If the base offer is fully allotted, the N525 offer price implies a pre-listing market capitalization of about N63.07 trillion and an indicative post-offer market capitalization of N65.22 trillion.

CardinalStone’s 12-month equity valuation stands at N77.7 trillion, translating to a target price of N688.09 based on the share count used in its analysis. Chapel Hill Denham places the refinery’s current fair equity value at $62.53 billion, equivalent to N82.62 trillion at an exchange rate of N1,321.22 to the dollar.

The two estimates therefore suggest potential upside of roughly 19% to 27% over the indicative N65.22 trillion listing valuation, although neither valuation represents a guaranteed market price after listing.

The difference is highlighted because the analysts are effectively betting that Dangote Refinery’s earnings will rise sharply as production increases and the company expands its refining capacity.

What Is Driving The Higher Valuations?

Both investment houses use a combination of discounted cash flow, enterprise-value-to-EBITDA, and price-to-earnings methodologies to estimate the refinery’s value.

CardinalStone gives the greatest weight to its discounted cash flow model, while Chapel Hill Denham assigns a 50% weighting to DCF and 25% each to EV/EBITDA and P/E. Chapel Hill’s standalone DCF valuation is considerably higher, at $79.15 billion, but its blended methodology produces a more conservative fair equity value of $62.53 billion.

The fundamental argument behind the valuations is straightforward: Dangote Refinery is expected to generate substantially higher revenue and profit as its operations mature and utilization increases.

CardinalStone forecasts 2026 revenue of approximately $29.6 billion and profit after tax of $3.8 billion. Chapel Hill Denham estimates revenue of about $28.2 billion and net earnings of $4.1 billion for the year.

The refinery’s first-half results already point to a significant improvement in profitability. According to its IPO prospectus, the company generated $13.91 billion in revenue and $1.82 billion in profit after tax in the first six months of 2026, compared with a full-year loss of $475.8 million in 2025.

The shift from a full-year loss to substantial profitability is central to the bullish valuation case. If Dangote Refinery can sustain that trajectory, investors could value the company more on its future earnings power than on its earlier start-up costs and capital expenditure burden.

The longer-term valuation also depends heavily on Dangote Refinery’s planned expansion, according to the analysts.

The company currently has refining capacity of 700,000 barrels per day and plans to add another 700,000 bpd, potentially taking total capacity to approximately 1.4 million bpd.

The expansion programme is estimated to cost about $14.27 billion.

The IPO will provide only part of that funding. Of the approximately N2.11 trillion in net proceeds expected from the offering, about N841 billion is earmarked for utilities, offsites and associated infrastructure. Another N686.5 billion is allocated to refinery process units and major equipment, while N583.5 billion is designated for construction, installation and related expansion works.

For investors, the expansion represents both the biggest potential source of future growth and one of the largest execution risks. A successful increase in capacity could materially expand revenue and cash generation, while delays, cost overruns, weaker refining margins or lower-than-expected utilization could undermine the assumptions supporting the higher valuations.

N525 Is Not Necessarily A Bargain

The fact that both research firms value Dangote Refinery above its indicative IPO market capitalization does not mean the N525 offer price is guaranteed to generate a positive return.

The valuation range itself demonstrates why.

While Chapel Hill Denham’s blended fair value is N82.62 trillion, its valuation under some peer-based approaches is materially lower. Its lower-end estimate is about N56.7 trillion, below the N65.22 trillion indicative market capitalization at listing.

That means the refinery could trade below the IPO price if investors apply more conservative valuation multiples to the company.

The prospectus itself makes clear that N525 is not a guaranteed floor for the shares. Once trading begins, the market price will be determined by supply and demand, investor sentiment, earnings expectations, and the company’s actual financial performance.

The investment question is therefore not simply whether Dangote Refinery is being offered below analysts’ headline valuations. It is about the company’s ability to execute well enough to grow into those valuations.

IPO Details

Dangote Refinery moved closer to its proposed NGX listing on Monday, September 7, when the company and its advisers signed the transaction documents at a ceremony in Lagos following approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The offer is scheduled to open on September 14 and close on October 13, with trading expected to begin on the NGX in late November. The company is offering 4.1 billion ordinary shares at N525 each, potentially raising approximately N2.15 trillion, or about $1.63 billion, if fully subscribed. The minimum subscription is 10 shares, allowing retail investors to participate with an initial investment of N5,250.

Vetiva Advisory Services is leading the offering, with FirstCap and Stanbic IBTC Capital among the advisers and issuing houses.

The transaction is also targeting substantial retail participation. Ukandu Ukandu, managing director of FirstCap, has said the offering is targeting approximately 10 million retail investors.

Dangote’s Ownership Remains Dominant

The IPO will broaden the refinery’s shareholder base but will leave Aliko Dangote with overwhelming control of the company.

There is, however, an important distinction between his ownership before and after the new shares are issued. The prospectus shows that Dangote Refinery currently has 120,128,915,901 issued and fully paid ordinary shares.

They are held by Dangote Oil Refining Company Limited (DORCL), with 79,086,556,154 shares, or 65.835%; Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), with 17,903,461,538 shares, or 14.904%; Greenview International Corporation, with 7,803,769,230 shares, or 6.496%; NNPC Limited, with 8,186,982,308 shares, or 6.815%; and other shareholders, with 7,148,146,671 shares, or 5.950%.

The prospectus identifies Dangote as the beneficial owner of the interests held through DORCL, DIL and Greenview, as well as a 60% beneficial interest in Salamad Ventures Limited.

On the disclosed beneficial-interest calculation, those holdings amount to 104,834,654,430 shares, equivalent to approximately 87.27% of the company before the new IPO shares are issued.

Once the 4.1 billion new shares are issued, however, the total share count rises to roughly 124.23 billion. That additional dilution reduces Dangote’s beneficial ownership to approximately 84.3%, explaining the reported 84.34% post-offer figure.

The distinction is significant: 87.27% represents the disclosed beneficial interest against the existing share capital, while about 84.34% represents the ownership percentage after the IPO dilution.

Dangote therefore remains firmly in control even after the offering, while the IPO creates a substantial new public float and gives Nigerian investors direct exposure to one of the country’s most strategically important industrial assets.

What Investors Should Watch Out For

The valuation gap gives the IPO an apparent upside case, but investors should focus on the assumptions behind it rather than the headline numbers alone.

First is refinery utilization. Higher throughput is essential for Dangote Refinery to translate its enormous installed capacity into sustained earnings.

Second is refining margins. Profitability will depend not simply on how much crude the refinery processes, but also on the spread between crude input costs and the prices of refined petroleum products.

Third is the 700,000-bpd expansion. The project could substantially increase the company’s earnings capacity, but it will require significant additional capital and disciplined execution.

Fourth is the company’s ability to maintain strong cash generation while funding expansion and managing its balance sheet.

Finally, investors will have to determine what valuation multiple the market is willing to assign to the refinery. A high-growth infrastructure and energy company may command a premium if earnings continue to accelerate, but a more conservative multiple could push its market value below the research firms’ bullish estimates.

Dangote Refinery is therefore entering the NGX with an unusual combination of scale, strategic importance and ambitious growth expectations.

At N525 per share, the IPO offers investors an opportunity to participate before the planned capacity expansion is fully reflected in earnings. But the premium valuations estimated by CardinalStone and Chapel Hill Denham will ultimately depend on execution.

The potential reward is substantial if production, margins and expansion perform as expected. But analysts have warned that the risk is equally clear: if the refinery fails to deliver the earnings growth embedded in those forecasts, the market can assign it a lower valuation, and the shares can trade below the N525 offer price.