Instinct, the AI agent now valued at $10 billion as of its latest funding round, is expanding into group chats. The startup announced on Monday that users will be able to add the agent to chats with friends, which could be helpful in certain scenarios like travel planning, snagging event tickets, running fantasy leagues, organizing carpools, or managing whoâÂÂs bringing what to Thanksgiving.
Notably, the group chats with the AI agent will work even if a userâÂÂs friends havenâÂÂt joined Instinct, the company said.
With the launch, Instinct moves ahead in its battle with top competitors in the space, like MetaâÂÂs Muse. The latter doesnâÂÂt yet offer the group chat functionality, though MetaâÂÂs older app, Meta AI, can be added to group chats on WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, and Facebook.
Instinct and Muse have been running neck-and-neck recently, with both of them adding the ability to make phone calls over the past couple of weeks, as their agents try to win more of the consumer AI market. Last week, OpenAI launched ChatGPT Dots, personal AI agents that can also be used in ChatGPT Spaces, collaborative workspaces where the Dots and humans work together.
On X, Instinct founder Noah Shinn explained how Instinct handles usersâ privacy and security in group chats. He said a userâÂÂs personal Instinct agent will ask permission before connecting with the groupâÂÂs Instinct agent, and that users can also choose which groups they trust and can remove that trust at any time.
Shinn also said the group Instinct is siloed from the usersâ personal accounts, which it cannot access. The personal agent will always ask the userâÂÂs permission before sharing information or taking any action.
If new members join the group chat, any pending replies from a userâÂÂs personal Instinct agent are held before those are shared with the group, too.
âÂÂMaking 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,â Shinn wrote.
The feature is rolling out initially to InstinctâÂÂs early access users but will expand to all users âÂÂsoon.â 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.
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