Instinct and Meta’s Muse, prominent AI agents competing in the personal assistant space, have both introduced new calling features that allow users to delegate phone interactions such as restaurant bookings and subscription management.
- Instinct Concierge enables high-touch phone call tasks for users.
- Meta’s Muse rolls out outbound calling first to users requesting the feature.
- Both assistants compete closely as AI consumer adoption surges.
What happened
Instinct, a popular AI assistant startup valued reportedly at $10 billion, announced a new feature called Instinct Concierge that allows the AI to make phone calls for users. This feature can handle various real-world tasks such as booking restaurants without online reservation systems, joining cancellation lists, or resolving service provider issues. The rollout is currently in early access with plans for wider availability.
At the same time, Meta’s Muse AI assistant has introduced similar outbound calling capabilities for U.S. businesses. Meta is initially providing this feature to users who specifically request it through the AI, ensuring a user-driven feature adoption process. Both Instinct and Muse are now able to place calls, putting them on equal footing regarding this capability.
Why it matters
The addition of calling functionality marks a significant evolution in AI assistant usability by bridging the gap between digital interfaces and traditional phone-based services. It reduces the manual effort users must expend for everyday administrative tasks and high-touch service engagements where human interaction is still crucial.
This development also reflects intense competition among AI startups and tech giants to dominate the fast-growing text-based personal assistant market. Instinct’s recent funding flights and Meta’s rapid user growth demonstrate strong investor and consumer appetite for AI that can seamlessly navigate both digital and analog contact points.
What to watch next
Market observers should track how both companies scale these calling features beyond early access and evaluate user satisfaction, reliability, and regulatory compliance in sensitive phone interactions. Expansion to handle more complex tasks or integration with additional service providers could further differentiate these assistants.
Additionally, it will be important to monitor how trusted networks of AI assistants communicating with one another, as introduced by Instinct, affect task coordination and privacy dynamics. Broader rollout and adoption metrics will also indicate whether these innovations help sustain growth and valuation aspirations amid growing competition.