Instinct, an invite-only personal AI assistant led by 23-year-old researcher and founder Noah Shinn, has raised $250 million at a $2.5 billion valuation on top of $100 million previously raised, according to the newer report. Earlier reports said the service had surpassed 100,000 users and was discussing an additional $1 billion at a $10 billion valuation, approximately 13.08 trillion Korean won. Instinct operates through text messaging and WhatsApp rather than a dedicated application, using connected emails and calendars, website browsing and external communications to execute tasks such as reservations, travel planning, scheduling, grocery purchases and subscription cancellations. Its features include flight check-in and boarding-pass delivery, vendor communications through assistant-specific email addresses, coordination among acquaintances’ assistants and a concierge service introduced on September 16 that calls restaurants without online booking. The startup is competing with Meta’s Muse as the AI market shifts from generating answers toward completing real-world actions, although high demand has caused lag and broader access to accounts, credentials and payment methods has raised privacy and control concerns. The reports differ on whether Instinct launched its closed beta in February or soft-launched during the summer, and spell Shinn’s surname as both Shinn and Shin.