Instinct, the AI agent now valued at $10 billion following its latest funding round, is expanding its capabilities into group chats. The startup announced on Monday that users can now invite the agent to conversations with friends, a feature promising utility in various scenarios such as organizing travel plans, securing event tickets, managing fantasy leagues, coordinating carpools, or deciding who is bringing what to Thanksgiving dinner.
A significant aspect of this launch is that the AI agent operates within group chats even if the participants' friends have not yet created an account with Instinct, the company confirmed.
This move accelerates Instinct’s competition against top rivals in the consumer AI space, such as Meta’s Muse. While Meta’s Muse does not currently offer group chat functionality, Meta’s older Meta AI application can be added to group chats on WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, and Facebook.
Starting today, early access users are able to add Instinct to existing group chats, where a new agent joins the conversation to assist the whole group. Noah Shinn, the founder of Instinct, noted that coordinating plans usually leads to frustrating back-and-forth exchanges regarding times and locations. He stated, “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.”
Instinct and Muse have been competing closely recently, with both platforms adding phone calling capabilities over the past few weeks to capture more of the consumer AI market. Additionally, last week OpenAI launched ChatGPT Dots, personal AI agents that can also be utilized within ChatGPT Spaces for collaborative work.
On X, Noah Shinn elaborated on the privacy protocols for these group settings. He explained that a user’s personal Instinct agent requires permission before connecting with the group’s agent, and users retain the ability to choose which groups they trust, removing that trust at any moment. Shinn further clarified that the group Instinct agent is siloed from the user’s personal account and cannot access it. The personal agent always seeks explicit permission before sharing information or executing actions.
Furthermore, if new members join the group chat, any pending replies from a user’s personal Instinct agent are temporarily held to ensure they are not shared with the group until the new participants are ready.
The feature is currently rolling out to Instinct’s early access users but will be extended to all users in the near future. To gain access to this new functionality or other recent additions, users can request to be placed on the waiting list by asking their personal Instinct agent.
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