Instinct was the buzziest AI agent around — can it survive Muse?

<figure> <img alt="Photo of a phone on a table showing Instinct AI texts." data-caption="Instinct’s agent is always just a text away." data-portal-copyright="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/DSC04328_processed_1.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> Instinct’s agent is always just a text away. </figcaption> </figure> <p class="has-drop-cap wp-block-paragraph">Before there were <a href="https://www.theverge.com/column/999999/optimizer-meta-muse-ai-cute">cute little guys</a>, there was Instinct.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">In August, the startup got its AI agent to market with an unusual playbook: invite-only, no marketing, and barely so much as a website. And yet, Instinct quickly became the buzziest thing in AI, <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/i-finally-found-an-ai-agent-worth-the-risk/">garnering praise</a> for its straightforward, text message-based interface and its ability to handle chores like <a href="https://x.com/pitdesi/status/2090579987778937159?lang=en">booking DMV appointments</a> and <a href="https://x.com/srcasm/status/2091211911920542200">sending follow-up emails</a>.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Then Muse arrived, followed not long after by Dots. The same products, more or less, from two far more powerful companies.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">With Big Tech players suddenly in the mix, it was looking dubious that the startup's buzzy launch could keep …</p> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/tech/1008254/instinct-agent-ai-hands-on-muse-dots">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>