Instinct brings its AI agent to group chats, even for friends without an account
Instinct is launching group chats that let friends use its AI agent together for tasks like planning trips, organizing carpools, and coordinating events. The company says personal accounts remain separate, with permission required before personal agents share information or take action.
Instinct, an AI agent valued at $10 billion post a recent funding round, is set to expand its range of services by entering group chats. By announcing this feature on Monday, Instinct aims to assist users in several common situations such as travel planning, securing event tickets, managing fantasy leagues, coordinating carpools and planning Thanksgiving get-togethers.
A notable feature of this development is the functionality of these group chats, which will operate even if the user’s friends haven't signed up for Instinct. This positioning puts Instinct in direct competition with leading players such as Meta's Muse, which currently lacks group chat functionality. Instinct’s strategy to outshine competitors has seen both the company and Muse adding the ability to make phone calls over the past couple of weeks in their quest to capture a larger piece of the consumer AI market.
On the same note, OpenAI recently introduced ChatGPT Dots, personal AI agents that can also function within ChatGPT Spaces, a collaborative workspace where humans and AI agents collaborate. During a recent X interview, Instinct’s founder Noah Shinn elaborated on how Instinct manages user privacy and security in group chats. He explained that a user’s personal Instinct agent would first seek permission before connecting with the group’s Instinct agent.
Moreover, users have the autonomy to select which groups they trust and can withdraw that trust at any time. Shinn assured that the group’s Instinct is isolated from users’ personal accounts, preventing it from accessing any of this data. The personal agent will consistently request the user’s permission before sharing any information or executing any action.
In case new members join the group chat, any pending replies from the user’s personal Instinct agent are temporarily suspended until they are shared in the group. This new feature is currently being rolled out to early access Instinct users but will be made available to all users "soon." To gain access to this feature, or the other recent enhancements, users can request their Instinct agent to put them on the trial list.
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