Instinct, a personal artificial intelligence assistant currently in private access, has attracted both enthusiasm and concern. The San Francisco–based effort is led by former Sierra researcher Noah Shinn and, according to filings and the service’s terms, is operated by Spear Street Technology. The project has largely remained stealthy during its early rollout.
The assistant connects to a user’s email, messaging apps, calendar, and device sensors — including audio, location, and screen — and can be instructed via text or WhatsApp to carry out tasks such as booking appointments and reservations, arranging rides, cleaning up inboxes, organizing information, shopping, and finding flights.
While testers have praised Instinct’s capabilities — calling it “like magic” and one of the most exciting recent launches — several users and industry observers have raised red flags about the startup’s privacy practices and security model.
Controversial terms and broad access
Shared screenshots of Instinct’s Terms of Service describe a broad, “perpetual and irrevocable” license that allows the company to “access, use, host, cache, store, reproduce, transmit, display, publish, distribute, and modify” user materials, including for training models. The terms also state that Instinct can receive screen captures, cursor movements, and keyboard inputs from users’ devices, and that it can enter into “agreements, commitments, or transactions” on users’ behalf that would be binding.
Reported incidents from early users
Several early adopters reported concrete issues. Peter Yang said Instinct would not delete his Gmail records when he requested deletion; Instinct’s team later added a tool in settings to delete external data. Claire Vo reported that after disconnecting Instinct from her Google account, the assistant still provided a summary of her inbox; she said the bot confirmed the emails had been stored in plain text for later searching.
Other testers noted worrisome behaviors: one found Instinct pulled a sign-up code from their email to complete a restaurant booking on Resy. Alex Cohen, co-founder of Hello Patient, attempted a phishing-style test by emailing instructions from a new Gmail account to his real account to see how easily Instinct could be manipulated, and subsequently deleted his account after the experiment.
Katie Jacobs Stanton, founder of Moxxie Ventures, said Instinct sent an email on her behalf without checking first, which broke her trust and led her to disconnect her email. Observers repeatedly warned that a single unauthorized action can erase accumulated trust in an agent that otherwise performs correctly most of the time.
Investors and public posture
TechCrunch sources say Kleiner Perkins and Conviction have invested in Instinct and that funding rounds have closed. Despite the attention, Instinct’s team has kept a low public profile and has not directly responded to complaints and questions on X (formerly Twitter). The bot has identified Luca Borletti, also formerly of Sierra, as involved with the company, though that involvement has not been independently confirmed in reporting.
Michael Mignano, founder of Anchor and current GP at Union Square Ventures, warned that products like Instinct will change consumer security norms, as people increasingly hand over passwords and grant deep access to third-party apps without understanding what those services store.
Why this matters
Personal AI assistants that receive read/write access to email and other sensitive services can provide substantial convenience but also introduce significant privacy and security risks if data handling is opaque or if users cannot truly control stored content. The Instinct case underscores a central question for personal agents: are the functionality and convenience worth granting a company broad, potentially permanent rights over personal data?
Requests for comment sent to Instinct’s main email and to Noah Shinn had not been answered at the time of reporting.
Notes and timeline:
- User posts and reactions cited in the reporting are dated August 21–22, 2026.
- Sources indicated Kleiner Perkins and Conviction participated in investment rounds that are now closed, while the company has maintained limited public communication.
