This AI assistant bought me whey protein and booked a cabin for my birthday
I tried Instinct, the viral AI assistant that books appointments, handles customer service, cancels subscriptions, and more.
Instinct, an exclusive AI assistant that is gaining traction in Silicon Valley, can assist with real-life tasks through text messages. This article details several ways Instinct has helped the author over recent days. First, it booked a cabin for the author's birthday and made a dinner reservation. Next, Instinct ordered whey protein from Costco.
Additionally, it faxed an undisclosed document to the author's bank to secure a late-fee refund. Instinct also checked whether a new dentist was in-network and scheduled an appointment. Moreover, it handled communication with a human representative at the author's insurance company. Furthermore, it canceled several forgotten recurring subscriptions.
Furthermore, Instinct replied to the author's emails. While other AI tools like OpenAI's Codex and Anthropic's Claude Code can perform some of these actions, Instinct stands out due to its unique feature of residing within text messages. There's no setup required, and no technical tinkering is needed. The user simply sends a text, and Instinct takes care of the rest.
VC investors are impressed with Instinct's capabilities, as reported by the Wall Street Journal, which stated that Instinct has raised $250 million at a $2.5 billion valuation. The founder, Noah Shinn, is a 23-year-old dropout from Northeastern University and an early employee at AI company Sierra. Shinn did not respond to numerous requests for comment.
Instinct is part of Silicon Valley's latest trend: AI performing tasks rather than merely advising. However, there are potential downsides. For an assistant to run an individual's life, it must have access to a significant amount of personal data. The more permissions granted to Instinct by connecting it to various digital platforms, the more beneficial it becomes.
The assistant's terms of service also permit it to utilize user data for training its models. Shinn did not respond to multiple requests for comment. While caution is advised, the author invites readers to sign up and share their most outrageous attempts. Contact information for inquiries is provided.
Written by urgent.news from Business Insider's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
