Instinct was founded in 2025 and has raised $350 million, including the new round. The company began testing its AI assistant in private beta in February and experienced a surge in popularity earlier this month as users posted about its capabilities, according to the report.
Users of Instinct can communicate with the AI bot via phone call or text and ask it to perform tasks such as responding to email, managing calendars, booking a ride to the airport, shopping for insurance or finding apartment rentals, the report said.
Some users have raised concerns about security and privacy because they must give Instinct access to sensitive personal data and because the company’s terms allow it to train its AI models on user data, per the report.
Shinn said in the report that the company takes these concerns seriously and that it has stopped the agent from taking some actions that earlier versions of Instinct were able to take.
According to Instinct’s website, the personal assistant connects to the user’s email, messaging, screen, audio, location and more; uses a phone and computer as interfaces; and is trained to understand and handle everyday tasks.
Shinn said in a Wednesday post on X that the personal agent is available in an invitation-only beta program while the company secures more compute.
“I’m thrilled with everything our early users are doing with Instinct,” Shinn said. “They’ve told us they’ve planned cross-country road trips, bought weekly groceries and concert tickets, and cancelled hundreds of dollars of subscriptions. Someone’s even planning their wedding with Instinct.”
The PYMNTS Intelligence report “The New AI Handshake: Data Shows When Consumers Want Help and When They Want Control” found that while consumers still use AI for writing, search and research, the next growth wave is forming around repeatable daily chores such as meals, shopping, reminders, budgeting, household logistics and personal planning.
