Instinct's Product Recommendations Annoy Early Users

Instinct, the AI startup valued at $10 billion after a $1 billion Series C round, has a new revenue ambition — and its first users are already complaining.

Overnight, the company's AI agent began pushing product suggestions to users as part of a new feature called Instinct Selections. The feature curates personalized lists across dining, travel, and shopping.

Founder Noah Shinn announced the debut on X, explaining that the company will partner with "local chefs, designers, architects, travel guides" and others to bring "human taste" to the product. Instinct did not share who those human partners are.

The design marks a shift from pure AI-generated output. Instead of relying only on suggestions derived from training data gathered from the web, Instinct is pairing its models with people offering human-curated recommendations.

"The next time you're looking for a restaurant, Instinct can pull from a list handpicked by chefs who know the hidden gems in your area," Shinn wrote on X.

"If you want to find a new trail to explore, Instinct can draw on recommendations from local guides and suggest a few routes that fit your preferences. And if you're looking to add some color to your home, Instinct will find pieces from independent designers that match your style, space, and budget," he continued. "Our goal is to deliver world-class recommendations that are differentiated in quality from what you might find on the internet, and from what other chatbots produce," he said.

The backlash started immediately

The initial reaction to the unsolicited product pushes has not been positive.

"I didn't need to buy carry-on luggage, sunglasses, or a brim hat. This feels so disappointing. At least make me a personalized shopping list of things I actually need!!," Shruti Gandhi, a general partner at the AI-focused investing firm Array VC, wrote on X.

Entrepreneur Andrew Yeung confirmed on X that he also received product recommendations he hadn't asked for.

A third user, Chat Joglekar, founder of a business-buying marketplace, was blunter. "I had my first 'ewwww' moment with an AI assistant when Instinct started to suggest products that I should buy based on what I had in email and upcoming trips," he wrote.

The complaints point to a basic product-design problem. Curated suggestions work when the user asks for them, or when they fit naturally into the current conversation. Then the assistant feels helpful rather than promotional.

Instinct's suggestions have arrived at random intervals. That demands highly personalized, excellent picks — otherwise users feel spammed. Random pushes for luggage and sunglasses do not clear that bar.

The timing is awkward. Instinct now competes with AI agents from bigger companies, including Meta and, now, OpenAI. Neither of those rivals pushes products at users this way.

The money question

Instinct did not share whether it currently makes money from the recommendations or plans to. But the feature looks ready-made for an advertising, commerce, or affiliate play — a monetization path that would test user tolerance at a moment when the agent's standing with early adopters is already strained.

TechCrunch has asked the company for further comment.

The product suggestions launched shortly after Instinct confirmed its most recent financing: a $1 billion Series C round valuing the company at $10 billion. The company has not disclosed how many people actually use its product — a figure that would help justify that valuation.

In a recent podcast interview with investor Patrick O'Shaughnessy, Shinn offered one proxy for scale. He said the platform is approaching a billion dollars in annual transactions made through the agent, and that more than 50% of them relate to travel.

That transaction volume explains why commerce matters to Instinct's story. But if Selections keeps alienating the power users who anchor the company's buzz, the $10 billion valuation will rest on a feature set its most visible customers say they never asked for.