Instinct and Meta's Muse AI assistants now able to place phone calls for users

The competitive market for text-based AI assistants is heating up as Instinct and Meta’s Muse each launch phone-calling capabilities. Instinct, backed by investors and valued at roughly $10 billion, announced the "Instinct Concierge" service, which can secure restaurant reservations, add users to dentist cancellation lists and troubleshoot cable bills by calling on their behalf. The feature is currently in early access and will expand to all users later.

Meta’s Muse AI also gained the ability to place calls to U.S. businesses, initially available to users who explicitly request a call, serving as a built-in feature request mechanism. These additions level the playing field after other rivals touted calling as a differentiator. Recent activity shows strong momentum for both firms: Instinct raised $350 million at a $2.5 billion valuation and is reportedly seeking a $1 billion round, while analytics firm Sensor Tower reported Muse’s app surpassed Meta AI’s download numbers shortly after launch.