AI startup Instinct has introduced Instinct Selections, a feature offering human-curated product and travel recommendations. While aiming to enhance user experience with expert-picked suggestions, the rollout has sparked backlash from users who find the unsolicited suggestions intrusive and irrelevant.
- Instinct partners with local experts to curate product and travel recommendations.
- Users criticize unsolicited and irrelevant product suggestions.
- Feature debut follows Instinct’s $1 billion Series C funding round.
What happened
Instinct launched Instinct Selections, a feature that delivers product and travel recommendations curated by human experts like chefs, designers, and travel guides. The company’s founder described the effort as an improvement over pure AI-generated suggestions by incorporating human taste and localized expertise.
Despite the company's intentions, many users reported receiving recommendations they did not request, such as travel accessories and various products not aligned with their needs. This unsolicited approach led to discomfort and dissatisfaction, with users publicly expressing frustration about feeling spammed.
Why it matters
The feature signals Instinct’s exploration of new revenue opportunities potentially tied to commerce and advertising by blending AI capabilities with curated human input. This aligns with broader trends among AI startups seeking to monetize personalized recommendation engines.
However, the negative user feedback underscores the risks of pushing recommendations without clear user consent or highly targeted relevance. For AI assistants competing against heavyweights like Meta and OpenAI, maintaining user trust through appropriate personalization and timing is critical to avoiding alienation.
What to watch next
It remains to be seen if Instinct will adjust Instinct Selections by introducing opt-in controls, improving relevance algorithms, or allowing user customization of content sources, which users have requested. The feature’s commercial model and potential affiliate or advertising partnerships have not been disclosed.
As Instinct recently closed a $1 billion Series C round valuing it at $10 billion, observers will be watching how the company navigates user sentiment while scaling new business models amid fierce competition in the AI assistant market.