Instinct, valued at $10 billion following its latest funding round, is rolling out its AI agent to group chats for users who do not have an account.
The startup announced on Monday that individuals can add the agent to conversations with friends, even if those friends are not Instinct users. This setup helps with travel planning, buying event tickets, managing fantasy leagues, organising carpools, or deciding who brings what to Thanksgiving.
Competitive positioning
This launch pushes Instinct ahead of rivals like Meta’s Muse. Muse currently lacks group chat functionality, though Meta AI can be added to WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, and Facebook groups.
Instinct and Muse have been competing closely recently. Both added phone calling capabilities over the past few weeks as their agents vie for the consumer AI market. Last week, OpenAI launched ChatGPT Dots, personal AI agents usable in ChatGPT Spaces, collaborative workspaces where the Dots and humans work together.
Privacy and security
On X, Instinct founder Noah Shinn explained how the system handles privacy in group chats. A user’s personal Instinct agent asks permission before connecting with the group’s Instinct agent. Users can choose which groups they trust and remove that trust at any time.
Shinn stated the group Instinct is siloed from the users’ personal accounts, which it cannot access. The personal agent always asks permission before sharing information or taking action.
If new members join the group chat, pending replies from a user’s personal Instinct agent are held before being shared with the group.
“Making plans with friends usually turns into a frustrating back-and-forth over times and places. With Instinct in the group, you can explore options together, agree on a plan and get it done, all in one thread,” Shinn wrote.
The feature is rolling out initially to Instinct’s early access users but will expand to all users soon. To gain access to the new feature or other recent additions, users can ask their Instinct agent to put them on the list to try it out.
