Meta and Google are about to have a consumer AI showdown

The race to put out a widely adopted and highly competent digital assistant is a fight to control the next popular tech platform. It just so happens that the companies poised for a heated confrontation over AI agents are also the two dominant digital advertising firms. Meta (META), which reports quarterly results Tuesday, and Google (GOOG) are headed for an AI showdown. Last month Meta's Muse burst onto the scene, delivering the first popular AI agent for normies, and just cracked a download milestone. Muse's early success, in both downloads and praise, previewed a world where more people rely on their digital helpers to get work done and manage their daily routines.