Instinct and Meta's Muse Both Launch Phone-Call Features, Closing AI Agent Capability Gap

Text-based AI assistants have become a competitive arena, with startups like Instinct, Wajo, Town, and Ollie squaring off against Meta's freshly launched Muse agent. Both Instinct and Muse have now rolled out the ability to make phone calls—a capability that had separated earlier movers from the pack.

Instinct's New Concierge Feature#

Instinct, the San Francisco-based startup that has drawn massive investor attention, is expanding its capabilities with what it calls Instinct Concierge. The feature enables AI agents to handle real-world tasks like reserving tables at restaurants that don't accept online bookings, adding users to dentist cancellation lists, or resolving billing issues. Founder Noah Shinn shared the announcement through X, noting the feature is rolling out to select users initially, with broader availability coming later.

Meta's Muse Follows Suit#

Meta is keeping pace with its own calling rollout. Muse can now dial U.S. businesses, with the company rolling out access first to users who request the capability. This approach doubles as a feature-request signal—Meta plans to prioritize phone-calling availability for those who explicitly ask for it.

Leveling the Playing Field#

Several competitors had positioned phone-calling as a differentiator that set them apart from Instinct. With Instinct's Concierge launch, that advantage has largely evaporated, putting all major contenders on more equal footing.

Rapid Feature Expansion#

Both services have moved quickly to broaden their toolkits. Last week, Instinct introduced email addresses that allow its agents to handle account registration and management autonomously. The platform also now supports direct communication between users' assistants—a feature that requires enrollment in a trusted network.

Market Momentum#

Investment and user adoption are accelerating across both platforms. Instinct raised $350 million at a $2.5 billion valuation last month and is in talks for a fresh funding round at a reported $10 billion valuation. Muse has also shown strong traction: according to analytics from Sensor Tower, it garnered over 730,000 U.S. downloads in its first few days, outpacing the Meta AI app's 707,000 downloads over a comparable period and briefly reaching the number 2 position in the App Store charts.