Noah Shinn, a 23-year-old college dropout and former Sierra researcher, has turned Instinct into one of the AI industry’s most closely watched startups. The invite-only AI assistant, which can handle tasks such as buying groceries and canceling subscriptions, raised $250 million at a $2.5 billion valuation on top of $100 million previously raised. Instinct’s emergence reflects a shift in the AI race from increasingly capable chatbots toward AI agents (software that performs tasks for users), including booking hotels, scheduling meetings and managing errands with limited prompting. The company is now competing with Meta’s Muse, an AI agent backed by the tech giant’s substantial computing resources and cash. Instinct is free but has experienced significant lag amid high demand, while The Information reported that it is in talks to raise money at a $10 billion valuation. Shinn’s background includes research on Reflexion, a technique that helps AI agents learn from past failures, and early work at Sierra, led by OpenAI chairman Bret Taylor. Although the eventual winner of the assistant race remains unclear, Instinct’s rise has demonstrated that a small startup can attract substantial attention despite Big Tech’s advantages.