This AI assistant bought me whey protein and booked a cabin for my birthday
The AI assistant 'Instinct' is gaining popularity in Silicon Valley for its ability to perform real-world errands like booking travel and managing subscriptions via text message. The startup is reportedly raising $250 million, highlighting a broader industry shift toward 'agentic AI' that executes tasks rather than just providing information.
Why it matters
It represents a significant evolution in AI utility, moving from passive chatbots to active agents capable of interacting with real-world services, though it raises substantial privacy and security concerns.
Instinct helped me buy whey protein from Costco and book a cabin for my birthday Reuters and Associated Press Instinct, an invitation-only AI assistant going viral in Silicon Valley, can handle real-world errands through text messages. A version of this story appeared in the BI Tech Memo newsletter. Sign up for the weekly BI Tech Memo newsletter here . Here's everything that Instinct — an invitation-only AI assistant going viral among Silicon Valley tech types — has done for me over the past few days: • Booked a cabin for my birthday and made a dinner reservation. • Ordered whey protein from Costco. • Faxed (faxed!) an obscure document to my bank so I could get a late-fee refund. • Checked whether a new dentist was in-network and made an appointment. • Dealt with a human customer service representative at my insurance company.
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