Meta has acknowledged that its new AI assistant Muse bears significant similarities to OpenClaw, a popular open-source personal AI assistant. Nat Friedman, head of product at Meta’s Superintelligence Labs, confirmed on X that while Muse was developed from the ground up, it was “heavily inspired” by OpenClaw’s design, even down to workspace filenames and content such as the SOUL.md file that defines the AI’s personality and behavior. The revelation came after users noticed near-identical file names and configurations, fueling speculation about Muse’s connection to OpenClaw.

Friedman explained that Meta’s team fell in love with OpenClaw after using it earlier in the year and sought to create a product that captured its strengths while being scalable, secure, and user-friendly for billions of people. He praised Peter Steinberger, OpenClaw’s creator, for pioneering the AI’s foundational framework and noted that many in the industry found OpenClaw inspiring. Meta’s approach aligns with its historical strategy of adopting promising innovations and expanding them into mass-market products.

Muse has seen strong traction since its launch, recently topping the U.S. App Store charts and surpassing the early mobile launch performance of ChatGPT when considering platform and market availability. Despite the buzz and comparisons, Meta has remained relatively quiet beyond Friedman’s statements, focusing on promoting Muse as a distinct but inspired AI solution. The company emphasized that Muse was built independently, though openly drawing from OpenClaw’s successes.

The close resemblance between Muse and OpenClaw — an open-source project that led to its creator joining OpenAI earlier this year — highlights ongoing competitive dynamics in the AI space. It reflects both the rapid innovation cycle among personal AI assistants and Meta’s commitment to quickly delivering widely accessible AI tools. The company’s candid admission fills a gap in public understanding about Muse’s origins amid growing scrutiny from early adopters and the tech community.