Personal AI agents—digital assistants designed to complete tasks on behalf of users—are poised to become a widespread feature of daily life, potentially transforming how people interact with the internet. Recent developments show a new generation of such agents that are easier to use and more capable than earlier models.
One example of early personal AI agents is Norman, which required significant technical effort to build and operated on a Raspberry Pi computer. While Norman was endearing, it struggled with multitasking, remembered conversations poorly, and faced limitations when attempting online activities such as booking appointments. Despite initial promise, Norman has been surpassed by more advanced alternatives.
Among the emerging leaders in this field is Meta’s Muse, which launched in the United States earlier this month and quickly gained popularity, ranking at the top of app charts with over 640,000 daily users by late September. However, Muse is not yet available in the United Kingdom. Competing directly with Muse is Instinct, a free personal assistant app created by Silicon Valley start-up Spear Street Technology, led by 23-year-old Noah Shinn. Unlike agents requiring dedicated hosting or paid accounts, Instinct operates from a standard smartphone setup and is accessible via common platforms like WhatsApp.
Instinct’s functionality includes drafting meeting briefs, summarizing emails, managing calendars, and proactively assisting with tasks such as booking appointments by scanning user emails for relevant information. It also connects to users’ cloud storage, such as Google Drive, to access years of documents and correspondence, which enhances its utility but raises privacy concerns. For instance, the assistant once asked a user to share a bank security code to complete a booking, highlighting potential risks associated with sensitive data access.
These privacy issues have attracted scrutiny, particularly reports alleging that Instinct has accessed unrelated social media accounts or financial information improperly. The company’s founder denies intentional data breaches, attributing such occurrences to AI “hallucinations,” but the public remains cautious.
Financial sustainability is another open question. Instinct recently announced a $1 billion funding round from major investors including Sequoia, Benchmark, and Coatue, valuing the company at $10 billion—an increase from its previous $1 billion valuation following a $250 million round. Despite this backing, the high computational demands of maintaining AI services at scale present ongoing cost challenges.
The emergence of personal AI agents marks a new competitive front in the broader AI landscape, with major technology firms and startups vying for dominance. Success may ultimately hinge on these agents earning user trust while delivering tangible benefits. As this sector continues to evolve, users and industry observers alike will be watching to see which platforms gain widespread adoption and how issues of privacy and reliability are addressed.