The tech battle to build your AI assistant
Tech companies are racing to build AI agents capable of managing daily life, including booking flights, shopping, and sending emails. While Silicon Valley investors are backing newcomers like Noah Shinn's Instinct, established players like Meta are competing with their own tools such as Muse. However, the push for autonomy creates significant security risks, as agents now request user passwords and developers struggle to stop prompt exploits. Some scientists warn that a swarm of these agents could take over the internet within six months.
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- ✓ AI agents can now perform tasks such as shopping, sending emails, and booking flights.
- ✓ Noah Shinn, a 23-year-old college dropout, founded the AI company Instinct.
- ✓ Instinct is competing with Meta's Muse.
- ✓ Developers cannot stop every LLM exploit because hackers use clever phrasing to trick models.
What changed
Noah Shinn's Instinct has emerged as a rapid-growth competitor to Meta's Muse.
Live updates
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Tech Giants and Startups Clash Over AI Assistant Dominance
Tech companies are racing to build AI agents capable of managing daily life, including booking flights, shopping, and sending emails. While Silicon Valley investors are backing newcomers like Noah Shinn's Instinct, established players like Meta are competing with their own tools such as Muse. However, the push for autonomy creates significant security risks, as agents now request user passwords and developers struggle to stop prompt exploits. Some scientists warn that a swarm of these agents could take over the internet within six months.
Why it matters
The shift from chatbots to agents marks a transition from AI that provides information to AI that executes actions. This requires granting software deep access to personal accounts and financial data. The conflict centers on whether utility outweighs the risk of losing control over automated systems.
What is confirmed
- AI agents can now perform tasks such as shopping, sending emails, and booking flights.
- Noah Shinn, a 23-year-old college dropout, founded the AI company Instinct.
- Instinct is competing with Meta's Muse.
- Developers cannot stop every LLM exploit because hackers use clever phrasing to trick models.
Still unconfirmed
- AI agents are requesting user passwords.
What to watch next
- Evidence of AI agents autonomously taking over internet infrastructure
- Security updates addressing prompt exploits in consumer AI assistants
- Market share data comparing Instinct and Meta Muse
confidence 80%Sources used for this update (11)
- 404media.co — There’s a 100% Chance AI Agents Are Already Ruining the Internet
- Axios — The tech battle to build your AI assistant
- Business Insider — AI labs are losing control of agents just as they want to give them more control over your life
- The New Yorker — My Weekend with an A.I. Agent
- SMH.com.au — The AI app that Silicon Valley thinks is actually useful
- The News International — Your new AI agent wants your passwords, should you say yes?
- Popular Mechanics — A Swarm of AI Agents Could ‘Take Over the Internet’ Within 6 Months, Scientists Say
- Fortune — AI agents are agreeing and acting: machines are now smarter than humans. Their principals merely agree
- News18 — AI Agents Can Now Book Flights, Shop And Send Emails: How Much Access Could Be Dangerous? | Explainers News
- www.businessinsider.com — Instinct took Silicon Valley by storm. Meet the 'brilliant' 23-year-old college dropout who started it.
- au.pcmag.com — Inside AI Prompt Security: Why Stopping Every LLM Exploit Is Impossible
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