Short answer: Zyphra introduced MAIA in beta on 6 November 2026 as a proactive, multiplayer AI agent that remembers shared context, takes action across connected tools and helps teams turn knowledge into outcomes. It is available as a Mac Desktop app and in Slack, free during the beta with daily usage caps. Google Workspace connectors are part of the beta; paid general-availability pricing is unknown.

By Agent Playbox Editorial · Published

Zyphra MAIA: multiplayer AI agent for teams

Key facts

What did Zyphra announce with MAIA?

On 6 November 2026, Zyphra introduced MAIA in beta: “a proactive, multiplayer AI agent that remembers shared context, takes action across tools, and helps teams turn knowledge into outcomes” (Zyphra introducing MAIA). The company frames MAIA as the application layer of its broader stack of frontier models, infrastructure and agentic apps.

Aligned News summarised the same-day drop as a free beta of a proactive multiplayer AI agent colleagues can share at work, with the product live at zyphra.com/maia. The product page calls MAIA “the colleague you’ve been waiting for” — an agent that remembers, acts and anticipates for you and your team (zyphra.com/maia).

What can MAIA do for a team?

Shared memory with sources

MAIA remembers people, decisions, preferences and how the team works. Ask about a decision from months ago and Zyphra says you get the outcome, the reasoning and the people involved, with sources (introducing MAIA). That history is meant to give the next task a starting point instead of reconstructing context from scattered Slack threads and docs.

Action across tools and proactive nudges

Describe an outcome in plain language and MAIA picks the tools, runs the steps and reports back — for example booking a kickoff, drafting the invite and sharing notes afterward. Recurring work can run on a schedule. A morning briefing pulls updates from connected tools; meeting prep surfaces past decisions and open questions; when plans conflict, MAIA can flag the issue while there is still time to act (introducing MAIA).

Dynamic apps teammates revise together

Teams can ask for a project board from tasks, owners and deadlines, or a dashboard based on Slack activity. Teammates open, revise and build on the result together (introducing MAIA; MAIA product page). Shared conversations and apps continue across Slack and desktop as people join.

Where does MAIA run and what does it cost?

MAIA is available now in beta as a standalone Mac Desktop app and as an app you can use directly in Slack, free during the beta (introducing MAIA). The download page adds that the beta uses Slack and Google Workspace, that setup takes an account to request beta access or join the waitlist for general availability, and that it is free during beta with daily usage caps (MAIA download).

On the Slack Marketplace, MAIA is listed as free to use with usage limits. You mention @MAIA in a channel or thread (or DM it); in channels it shows its reply privately first so you can approve before sharing. Paid general-availability pricing has not been published, so we mark it unknown on the MAIA profile.

How does MAIA handle trust and permissions?

Zyphra’s launch post stresses restraint alongside initiative: MAIA follows your existing tool permissions, confirms before irreversible actions, and lets you view and delete what it remembers. Private conversations stay private; you choose which threads and apps to share (introducing MAIA). The product page echoes that it confirms before irreversible actions and stays quiet when it should (MAIA product page).

The Slack listing adds that MAIA searches with your access, marks messages sent from MAIA, and uses AI that can make mistakes — so important answers should be checked against cited sources (Slack Marketplace). That approval-first habit matches our chief of staff template and morning briefing patterns.

What does this mean for businesses and knowledge teams?

MAIA is aimed at knowledge workers who today act as the integration layer between Slack, docs, tickets and calendar. Zyphra’s story of a launch team that asks MAIA for earlier decision reasoning, builds a shared board and sets a recurring progress brief is a concrete multiplayer workflow (introducing MAIA). New teammates can catch up from shared decisions and sources instead of hunting old threads.

Because the beta centres on Slack and Google Workspace, teams already living in that stack are the natural first audience (MAIA download). Related patterns on this site include change monitoring, meeting-notes follow-ups template and lead research before calls — with a human check before anything is sent or shared.

How does MAIA compare with Rocker and Perplexity Teammates?

Rocker is a context-aware AI work assistant that keeps a living picture of projects, decisions and people across Docs, Slack and email, with an invite-only waitlist. Perplexity Teammates are personal agents for ongoing work inside Perplexity Computer, watching tools such as Slack, GitHub and Linear, in a Max research preview.

MAIA shares the multiplayer, shared-memory angle with Rocker and the standing-work angle with Teammates, while shipping today as a free Mac + Slack beta with dynamic team apps (introducing MAIA; download). See MAIA vs Rocker and MAIA vs Perplexity Teammates, or our business vs personal agents guide.

What should you watch next with MAIA?

Watch when general availability opens, what paid pricing looks like once daily caps give way to a commercial plan, and which tools beyond Slack and Google Workspace join the connectors list (MAIA download; MAIA product page). Also watch how shared memory behaves as more teammates join the same conversations and apps.

We will keep the MAIA profile current. For more recent work-agent launches, see Perplexity Teammates, Rocker and Nooks Node, or browse the agent directory.

Timeline: how did we get here?

Agent snapshot: what do we know so far?

Facts below come from the agent profiles in our directory, each linked to its source.

MAIA at a glance

Full MAIA profile

Rocker at a glance

Full Rocker profile

Perplexity Teammates at a glance

Full Perplexity Teammates profile

Related comparisons and guides

Agents in this story

MAIA

business agent

Zyphra's proactive multiplayer AI agent for teams: shared memory of people and decisions, action across connected tools, morning briefings and conflict flags, and dynamic apps teammates can revise together. Mac Desktop and Slack; free during beta with daily usage caps.

Rocker

business agent

A context-aware AI work assistant for busy people at large companies: it keeps a living picture of your projects, decisions and people across Docs, Slack and email, flags what is slipping, and can connect everyone's assistant across the company.

Perplexity Teammates

business agent

Perplexity's personal AI agents for work: you give high-level goals and ongoing responsibilities, and each teammate plans and finishes the work on its own desktop inside Perplexity Computer, watching tools like Slack, GitHub and Linear and handing results back for review.

Frequently asked questions

What is Zyphra MAIA?

MAIA is Zyphra's proactive multiplayer AI agent for teams. It remembers shared context, acts across connected tools, surfaces briefings and conflict flags, and builds dynamic apps teammates can revise together.

When did MAIA launch?

Zyphra introduced MAIA in beta on 6 November 2026.

Is MAIA free?

Yes during the beta, with daily usage caps, per Zyphra's download page and the Slack Marketplace. Paid general-availability pricing is unknown.

Where can you use MAIA?

As a Mac Desktop app and in Slack. The beta uses Slack and Google Workspace connectors.

Does MAIA act without asking?

Zyphra says it confirms before irreversible actions, follows existing tool permissions, and lets you view and delete memory. In Slack, channel replies are shown privately first for approval.

Sources

Updated