Instinct adds email addresses so its AI can handle tasks by email

In short: Instinct is giving users an Instinct email address so the AI assistant can send and receive emails to complete tasks on their behalf.

What happened

Instinct, a popular AI assistant, is rolling out a new feature that gives each user an Instinct email address. The company says this lets the assistant create and manage accounts, contact businesses, and handle support requests without filling up the user’s personal inbox.

Founder Noah Shinn said the goal is to let Instinct handle common steps that usually require email, like signing up for services, confirming bookings, and following up with a company. He gave examples such as emailing a restaurant about a special request or asking a business about availability.

Users can also forward emails to Instinct when the assistant needs details to finish a task. For example, someone returning a product could forward the order confirmation, and Instinct could message support, ask the user whether they want a return or replacement, and then come back with a return label to print.

Instinct’s email can be added to group email threads, or it can be sent a long email chain to summarize and track decisions and deadlines. Instinct says early users may have reserved addresses, and others can claim theirs at mail.instinct.com.

Why it matters

Email is where many everyday chores get stuck, like logins, confirmations, and back-and-forth with customer service. Instinct’s approach is like giving your assistant its own mailbox, so it can do the waiting and writing for you, while your personal inbox stays cleaner. It also raises a practical question for businesses, since they may not always know whether they are talking to a person or an AI acting for that customer.

Source: TechCrunch AI