AI agent Instinct holds its ground against Meta and OpenAI rivals
Startup Instinct's text-message-based AI agent still handles online chores well in a hands-on test by The Verge, even after Meta's Muse and OpenAI's Dots entered the market.
Instinct, an AI startup whose personal agent works through text messages and handles everyday chores, is holding up against similar products from far larger companies, according to a hands-on test by The Verge's reporter. Meta's agent Muse and OpenAI's agent Dots have since arrived, raising the question of whether the small company can keep its place.
Instinct launched in August in an unusual way: invite-only, with no marketing and barely a website. The agent quickly earned praise for its simple text interface and its ability to do things like book appointments with government offices or send follow-up emails. The company was valued at $10 billion in late September, even after Muse appeared.
How it works
Conversations happen over iMessage, WhatsApp or email. There is no app and no cute mascot, only brief replies and action. The agent has access to a virtual machine and can connect to email, calendar, Google Workspace, Slack and Notion. Logging in to websites goes through a secure vault, reached by a link.
The reporter gave the agent tasks such as finding swimming lessons for her son, emailing an eye doctor's office and handling the paperwork for an Ikea return. It correctly interpreted a vague description of a piece of furniture and flagged a calendar conflict on its own. But it missed that the community center requires a prerequisite class before lessons for preschool-age children. That shows how agents struggle when important details are poorly presented on a human-made internet.
The company's stance and the future
Founder Noah Shinn, a former early employee of the startup Sierra, says he is unfazed by competition and that Instinct focuses solely on a personal assistant for everyday life. For now it is free for invite-only users, but payment is expected in future. Avi Greengart, an analyst at Techsponential, says the startup's main goal at the moment is growth. Greg Ireland, a senior director at IDC, believes advertising will eventually play a role in such products. Instinct has already tried pushing recommended products to users. OpenAI's Dots is available only to paid subscribers, while Meta's Muse is free.
