Instinct announced Instinct Concierge, a calling feature letting its AI agent place calls as a concierge, while Meta's Muse simultaneously gained the ability to call U.S. businesses. The rollouts bring the rival assistants into parity on calling, an advantage competitors had been touting over Instinct.
The Verge's Hayden Field joins Decoder to compare Meta's Muse and OpenAI's Dots, two consumer AI agents pitched as animated mascots. Both descend from Peter Steinberger's OpenClaw, which inspired the industry's default design: a model in a harness driving a web browser on a computer. Meta gives Muse away free to flood the market, while OpenAI charges via subscription tiers and targets enterprise knowledge workers, raising shared questions about handing agents sensitive personal data.
The Verge's Hayden Field joins Decoder to compare Meta's Muse and OpenAI's Dots, two consumer AI agents pitched as animated mascots. Both descend from Peter Steinberger's OpenClaw, which inspired the industry's default design: a model in a harness driving a web browser on a computer. Meta gives Muse away free to flood the market, while OpenAI charges via subscription tiers and targets enterprise knowledge workers, raising shared questions about handing agents sensitive personal data.
Instinct founder Noah Shinn said on investor Patrick O'Shaughnessy's podcast that over 50% of transactions on the invite-only personal agent platform are travel-related, with annual transaction volume approaching $1 billion and growth of 10% day over day. He also outlined plans to reinvent restaurant reservations with agent-driven preferential treatment. The comments drew skepticism about agents fabricating special occasions and restaurants' preference for loyal local patrons.
Instinct founder Noah Shinn said on investor Patrick O'Shaughnessy's podcast that over 50% of transactions on the invite-only personal agent platform are travel-related, with annual transaction volume approaching $1 billion and growth of 10% day over day. He also outlined plans to reinvent restaurant reservations with agent-driven preferential treatment. The comments drew skepticism about agents fabricating special occasions and restaurants' preference for loyal local patrons.
Instinct, an AI agent startup valued at $10 billion, announced group chat support: users can add the agent to chats with friends, even those without Instinct accounts. The feature targets coordination tasks like travel planning, ticket snags, and carpools, and positions Instinct against Meta's Muse and OpenAI's ChatGPT Dots in the consumer AI agent race. It rolls out first to early access users, with broader availability promised soon.
Instinct, an AI agent startup valued at $10 billion, announced group chat support: users can add the agent to chats with friends, even those without Instinct accounts. The feature targets coordination tasks like travel planning, ticket snags, and carpools, and positions Instinct against Meta's Muse and OpenAI's ChatGPT Dots in the consumer AI agent race. It rolls out first to early access users, with broader availability promised soon.
AI agent startup Instinct rolled out Instinct Selections, a feature pushing curated product recommendations for dining, travel, and shopping, drawing criticism from users who found unsolicited suggestions off-putting. Founder Noah Shinn says the feature pairs AI with human curators like chefs, designers, and travel guides. The rollout comes shortly after Instinct confirmed a $1 billion Series C at a $10 billion valuation.
AI agent startup Instinct rolled out Instinct Selections, a feature pushing curated product recommendations for dining, travel, and shopping, drawing criticism from users who found unsolicited suggestions off-putting. Founder Noah Shinn says the feature pairs AI with human curators like chefs, designers, and travel guides. The rollout comes shortly after Instinct confirmed a $1 billion Series C at a $10 billion valuation.
Meta's AI assistant Muse is now available on Mac, where it can act within native apps — files, messages, calendar, notes, and mail. The Mac release follows mobile and web launches earlier in September 2026 that topped the U.S. App Store. The move lands amid intensifying consumer AI agent competition with players like Instinct, reportedly raising at a $10 billion valuation.
Meta's AI assistant Muse is now available on Mac, where it can act within native apps — files, messages, calendar, notes, and mail. The Mac release follows mobile and web launches earlier in September 2026 that topped the U.S. App Store. The move lands amid intensifying consumer AI agent competition with players like Instinct, reportedly raising at a $10 billion valuation.