Updated
Updated · TechCrunch · Sep 17
Instinct, Meta’s Muse Add Calling Features as $10 Billion Startup Race Intensifies
Updated
Updated · TechCrunch · Sep 17

Instinct, Meta’s Muse Add Calling Features as $10 Billion Startup Race Intensifies

3 articles · Updated · TechCrunch · Sep 17

Summary

  • Instinct has begun early access for Instinct Concierge, a calling tool that lets its AI agent book restaurants, join dentist cancellation lists and dispute cable bills on a user’s behalf.
  • Meta’s Muse also just gained the ability to call U.S. businesses, with the feature initially rolling out to users who explicitly ask Muse to make a call.
  • The additions erase a gap rivals had highlighted, putting Instinct and Muse on par in one of the hottest feature battles among text-based AI assistants.
  • Instinct is expanding quickly beyond chat—after adding disposable email addresses and assistant-to-assistant task handling—while investors reportedly weigh a $1 billion round at a $10 billion valuation.
  • Muse is also gaining traction: Sensor Tower said the app topped 730,000 U.S. downloads after launch, ahead of Meta AI’s 707,000 in its first five days.

Insights

Will severe privacy concerns and strict consent regulations ultimately throttle the multi-billion-dollar rise of these autonomous calling assistants?
Are we approaching a bizarre reality where your personal AI spends hours negotiating on the phone with another AI to book dinner?
As AI agents autonomously call businesses, who takes the legal fall when a bot inevitably violates strict federal telecom laws?