Instinct, the AI agent that has reached a $10 billion valuation following its most recent funding round, is now moving into group chats. The startup revealed on Monday that users can add the agent to conversations with friends, which could prove useful in a variety of situations—whether it's planning a trip, securing event tickets, running a fantasy league, coordinating carpools, or figuring out who's bringing what to Thanksgiving dinner. Importantly, the company noted that group chats with the AI agent will function even if a user's friends haven't signed up for Instinct.

With this launch, Instinct gains an edge over major competitors in the space, such as Meta's Muse. Muse has not yet rolled out group chat functionality, although Meta's earlier app, Meta AI, can be added to group chats across WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, and Facebook.

Instinct and Muse have been competing closely in recent weeks, with both introducing phone call capabilities over the past couple of weeks as their agents vie for a larger share of the consumer AI market. Last week, OpenAI introduced ChatGPT Dots—personal AI agents that can also be utilized within ChatGPT Spaces, collaborative environments where Dots and humans work side by side.

On X, Instinct founder Noah Shinn detailed how the company manages user privacy and security within group chats. He explained that a user's personal Instinct agent will request permission before connecting with the group's Instinct agent, and that users can select which groups they trust and revoke that trust whenever they wish. Shinn also noted that the group Instinct operates in isolation from users' personal accounts, which it cannot access. The personal agent will always seek the user's approval before sharing any information or taking action. Additionally, if new members join the group chat, any pending replies from a user's personal Instinct agent are held back before being shared with the group.

"Making plans with friends usually turns into a frustrating back-and-forth over times and places. With Instinct in the group, you can explore options together, agree on a plan and get it done, all in one thread," Shinn wrote.

The feature is initially rolling out to Instinct's early access users but will become available to all users "soon." To get access to this new feature (or other recent additions), users can ask their Instinct agent to add them to the list to try it out.