Instinct gives its AI assistant an email address

The $2.5 billion startup says the feature will let its assistant handle sign-ups, follow-ups, and support tasks with less user input.

Instinct, the AI assistant startup valued at $2.5 billion, is giving each user’s assistant its own email address. The company says the change is meant to help Instinct handle more tasks without crowding a person’s inbox or forcing them to step in for routine sign-ups and follow-ups.

That matters because email still sits at the center of many everyday online tasks. If an AI assistant can manage that channel on its own, it may be able to complete more work from start to finish. It also raises a practical question for businesses: when an AI reaches out, it may not be obvious whether they are dealing with a person or an automated agent.

Instinct wants the assistant to create accounts and send follow-ups

Instinct founder Noah Shinn said on Tuesday that the new email addresses are intended to let the assistant create and manage its own accounts when needed. The idea is to spare users from constantly logging in, sharing credentials, or handling every step themselves.

Shinn said the feature is built for cases where email is required to finish a task. That includes creating accounts on different services, contacting businesses, or following up on items that still need attention.

In one example Shinn shared on X, Instinct could use its own email to contact a restaurant about a special request, ask a business about availability, or sign up for a service needed to complete a task.

The company says the new email addresses are already rolling out. Some are reserved for early users, while others can be claimed at mail.instinct.com, as IT-PUB News notes.

Forwarded messages can help Instinct continue a task

Instinct says the setup is not just for sending messages out. Users can also forward emails to the assistant when it needs specific information to keep working.

The company gave the example of a product return. A user could forward an order confirmation to Instinct’s email address, and the assistant could then contact support, provide the order details, ask whether the user wants a return or replacement, and later send back the return label to print.

Instinct’s email can also be added to group threads, allowing it to follow the conversation and keep track of details already exchanged. Users can also send the assistant a long email thread and ask it to sort through the discussion, identify decisions that still need to be made, or flag tasks and deadlines.

According to the company, the bot will check back with the user when it needs input. Otherwise, it will act on its own.

The added convenience comes with a privacy trade-off

Instinct is presenting the new email system as a smoother way to use the assistant. Users would not need to repeatedly step in to log in or provide information, which could make the service more useful for day-to-day tasks.

The company also said the feature may reduce the need to clutter personal inboxes with account-related messages. That could appeal to people who are tired of handing over their email addresses and phone numbers for simple one-off requests.

At the same time, the setup may add distance between businesses and customers. If an AI assistant is managing the account, a company may not always know exactly who it is interacting with. Instinct’s own framing suggests that this is part of the trade-off — more convenience for the user, less direct visibility for the business.

The feature fits Instinct’s broader push into task automation

The email feature is one of several recent updates aimed at expanding what Instinct can do. Last week, the company partnered with 1Password to help with logins to existing accounts. Instinct also introduced a location-sharing feature that lets it understand where the user is, so it can help find nearby businesses and restaurants, map routes and itineraries, and answer questions about location history, such as where someone parked or what restaurant they visited last month.

In August, Instinct also partnered with Stripe to support a more seamless payment experience. That update was aimed at helping the assistant handle tasks such as booking trips, classes, and appointments, as well as making purchases.

Taken together, the changes show Instinct moving toward a more hands-on role in users’ digital routines. The company is trying not just to answer questions, but to complete tasks that usually require a person to juggle email, logins, payments, and location details. The new email addresses are another step in that direction — and a reminder that the more an AI acts on someone’s behalf, the more trust it needs to earn.