Instinct joined the chat: The startup is bringing its AI agents to your group DMs

Instinct came for your inbox, your errands, and your shopping list — now it's wading into the wild west of your group chat.

The pitch is to end the familiar group-chat spiral: having to catch up on dozens of unread messages, competing restaurant suggestions, and the one friend who never answers whether they can make it to drinks on Friday.

Instinct said its agent can plan a weekend trip around everyone's arrival times, work out roommate logistics, organize carpools, manage fantasy sports leagues, and keep track of who is bringing what to Thanksgiving.

Unlike in a standard chat with Instinct, not everyone in the group needs an account. A new group-specific Instinct joins the conversation and works for the whole group, Shinn said.

Business Insider previously reported that Instinct users had raised concerns about the agent accessing accounts, giving inaccurate explanations of its actions, and sending unsolicited shopping recommendations based on details from earlier conversations.

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In one case, Veris AI CEO Mehdi Jamei said Instinct read a one-time login code from his connected Gmail account to cancel event RSVPs without first asking him.

Another user, Pritak Patel, said the agent appeared to describe a financial document with personal details that did not belong to him after he sent it a text-only link.

If someone new joins the group, pending replies from a personal Instinct are held until the user authorizes sharing with the expanded chat, Shinn said.

Are you using an AI agent in your group chats — or have you had concerns about what it can access, share, or do? Contact this reporter at tspirlet@businessinsider.com or on Signal at thibaultspirlet.40. If you're sharing sensitive information, use a personal email address, a nonwork device, and a nonwork Wi‑Fi network. Here's our guide to sharing information securely.