Instinct and Meta's Muse Add Phone Calling to AI Agent Features

Two leading AI agent platforms have simultaneously rolled out phone calling capabilities, intensifying competition in the rapidly growing market for text-based personal assistants.

Instinct, a San Francisco startup reportedly valued at $10 billion, introduced Instinct Concierge, which enables the AI agent to place calls on behalf of users. According to founder Noah Shinn, the feature can handle tasks like booking restaurants that don't accept online reservations, joining dental office cancellation lists, or resolving cable billing disputes. The company is releasing the capability in early access before expanding to its full user base.

Meta's Muse assistant launched an identical feature for calling U.S. businesses. The social media giant is deploying the capability first to users who explicitly request it—effectively using feature requests as a distribution mechanism for new functionality.

Why it matters

The simultaneous launch eliminates what several competing AI agents had positioned as their primary differentiator. Phone calling represents a critical capability for AI assistants aiming to handle real-world tasks that haven't been fully digitized, particularly interactions with small businesses and service providers that rely on traditional phone systems. The feature parity suggests the AI agent market is maturing quickly, with leading players matching capabilities within days rather than months.

Instinct expands beyond calling

Instinct has shipped several features in rapid succession beyond phone capabilities. The company recently introduced dedicated email addresses that allow the AI agent to handle account creation and management tasks. It also enabled a trusted network feature, letting users' assistants communicate directly with other users' assistants to coordinate tasks.

Last month, Instinct raised $350 million at a $2.5 billion valuation. The company is now reportedly in discussions to raise $1 billion at a $10 billion valuation, reflecting strong investor appetite for AI agents that can navigate multiple platforms and interfaces.

Market traction for both platforms

Both services have demonstrated significant early adoption. Analytics firm Sensor Tower reported that Muse attracted over 730,000 U.S. downloads in its first five days, surpassing the 707,000 downloads Meta's earlier Meta AI app achieved in the same period. Muse briefly reached the number two position in app store charts.

The AI agent space has become crowded with competitors including Wajo, Town, and Ollie, all vying for users willing to delegate routine tasks to automated assistants. The addition of voice calling by the two market leaders suggests this capability has become table stakes rather than a competitive advantage.

These details were first reported by TechCrunch.