There are certain phone calls I would happily hand off to almost anyone. Calling my wireless carrier to fix a billing problem comes to mind. So does chasing a restaurant reservation that I cannot book online. Now, AI wants the job. A new generation of personal artificial intelligence agents can handle tasks across apps, websites and connected accounts. Instinct and Meta’s newly launched Muse are pushing that idea further. Instinct can now place phone calls to businesses for some early-access users, while Meta is testing a similar capability with Muse. Instead of asking AI what number to call, the idea is that I can tell the agent what I need and let it handle the conversation. I know that sounds incredibly convenient, but it also raises a bigger question. How comfortable are you letting software speak and make decisions in your name?
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Instinct founder Noah Shinn announced Instinct Concierge on Sept. 16. The feature lets the company’s AI personal assistant handle phone calls and other service tasks for users. Shinn gave examples that will sound familiar to anyone who has wasted part of an afternoon on hold. Instinct could call a restaurant that does not take online reservations. It might get you onto your dentist’s cancellation list. The AI could also try to sort out a problem with your cable bill. The company is rolling Concierge out in early access to some users, with plans to expand availability over time.
Calling fits with what Instinct has already been building. Its AI assistant can work across connected services and take actions on a user’s behalf. Instinct has also given its assistants dedicated email addresses. Those addresses can help with account sign-ups and management. Users can also add other people to a trusted network. That allows their assistants to communicate with one another for certain tasks.
All of this has drawn serious investor interest. Instinct raised $250 million in an August Series B round that valued the company at $2.5 billion. Then, on Sept. 28, Instinct announced a $1 billion Series C round from investors including Sequoia Capital, Benchmark and Coatue, valuing the company at $10 billion.
Meta launched Muse on Sept. 8 as a personal AI agent that can work across connected services. Muse can browse the web, fill out forms and complete tasks on a user’s behalf. Meta has reportedly been testing an outbound-calling capability that lets some Muse users ask the agent to call U.S. businesses. The feature remains in limited testing rather than being broadly available to Muse users. Muse is now available in the U.S. and Canada.
Muse can also keep working after you close the app. Meta says users choose which services Muse can access and how much permission it receives. Interest has moved quickly. Muse climbed to the top of <a href="https://foxnews.com/category/tech/companies/apple" rel="noopener noreferrer" targe
