Instinct, the AI agent startup now valued at $10 billion, is moving into group chats. The company announced that users can add the agent to conversations with friends, where it can help with tasks such as planning travel, buying event tickets, running fantasy leagues, organizing carpools, or coordinating holiday meals. The feature works even if the other participants haven't signed up for Instinct, which could lower the barrier to adoption in social circles.
The launch puts Instinct ahead of one key rival: Meta's Muse does not yet offer group chat functionality, though Meta's older app, Meta AI, can be added to group chats on WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, and Facebook. Instinct and Muse have been competing closely, with both adding phone-call capabilities in recent weeks. OpenAI also entered the consumer agent space last week with ChatGPT Dots, which work in collaborative Spaces.
Instinct founder Noah Shinn outlined the privacy model in a post on X. A user's personal Instinct agent asks permission before connecting with the group's agent, and users can choose which groups to trust and revoke that trust at any time. The group's agent is siloed from personal accounts, and the personal agent asks permission before sharing information or taking action. If new members join a chat, pending replies from a personal agent are held until the user approves sharing them.
The feature is rolling out first to early access users, with a broader release promised soon. Users can request access by asking their Instinct agent to add them to the trial list. The move signals that AI agents are increasingly competing not just on individual assistance, but on how well they integrate into shared social and logistical contexts.