Instinct’s new product recommendations are giving some users the ick

The buzzy AI startup Instinct has just revealed a new potential revenue stream: product recommendations. Unfortunately for the company, the rollout is already rubbing some users the wrong way.

Overnight, the AI agent began pushing product suggestions to users as part of a new feature called Instinct Selections, an effort to curate personalized lists for users in areas like dining, travel, and shopping.

Founder Noah Shinn announced the feature’s debut later Tuesday, explaining that the idea is to partner with “local chefs, designers, architects, travel guides,” and others to bring “human taste” to its product.

In other words, instead of only relying on what the AI could suggest based on its training data gathered from the wider web, the company is partnering with people to offer human-curated suggestions, too. (Instinct didn’t share who, exactly, those human partners are.)

“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.

But the initial reaction to these seemingly unsolicited product pushes as not been fully 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.

TechCrunch has asked the company for further comment.

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