Text-Based AI Agents Spread Beyond Apps as Instinct Hits $10 Billion Valuation
Updated
Updated · TechCrunch · Oct 10
Text-Based AI Agents Spread Beyond Apps as Instinct Hits $10 Billion Valuation
3 articles · Updated · TechCrunch · Oct 10
Summary
$10 billion-valued Instinct is leading a fast-growing wave of AI agents that users can text to handle tasks such as booking trips, sending emails, shopping and managing calendars.
These services aim to replace another app download with SMS, iMessage, WhatsApp or Telegram, while keeping context, connecting to existing tools and completing multi-step actions on a user’s behalf.
The field is broadening from general assistants to niche products for families, travel, work and creators, with examples including Fambot, Miso, Town and Stanley.
Funding and launches are accelerating across the category: Instinct raised $1 billion in September, Tab emerged at a $300 million valuation, and several rivals are still in beta or private testing.
That expansion is also surfacing trade-offs around autonomy, privacy and security as some agents gain their own email addresses, place calls and act without using a user’s personal accounts.