{"id":266177,"date":"2026-09-30T15:56:28","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T15:56:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/30\/instincts-new-product-recommendations-are-giving-some-users-the-ick-techcrunch\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T15:56:28","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T15:56:28","slug":"instincts-new-product-recommendations-are-giving-some-users-the-ick-techcrunch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/30\/instincts-new-product-recommendations-are-giving-some-users-the-ick-techcrunch\/","title":{"rendered":"Instinct’s new product recommendations are giving some users the ick | TechCrunch"},"content":{"rendered":"


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

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.<\/p>\n

Founder Noah Shinn announced<\/a> the feature\u2019s debut later Tuesday, explaining that the idea is to partner with \u201clocal chefs, designers, architects, travel guides,\u201d and others to bring \u201chuman taste\u201d to its product.<\/p>\n

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\u2019t share who, exactly, those human partners are.)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe next time you\u2019re looking for a restaurant, Instinct can pull from a list handpicked by chefs who know the hidden gems in your area,\u201d Shinn wrote<\/a> on X.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf 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\u2019re looking to add some color to your home, Instinct will find pieces from independent designers that match your style, space, and budget,\u201d he continued. \u201cOur 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,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

But the initial reaction to these seemingly unsolicited product pushes has not been fully positive.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t 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!!\u201d Shruti Gandhi, a general partner at the AI-focused investing firm Array VC, wrote on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Instinct became shitty Amazon recommends app overnight.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t 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!! https:\/\/t.co\/hmH2iiE8lF<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/TNQIEwK9z2<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Shruti Gandhi \/ Array VC preseed rounds (@atShruti) September 29, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Another entrepreneur, Andrew Yeung, confirmed<\/a> on X that he also received product recommendations that he hadn\u2019t asked for<\/a>, which can feel off-putting.<\/p>\n

A third user, Chat Joglekar, the founder of a business-buying marketplace, wrote<\/a>, \u201cI had my first \u2018ewwww\u2019 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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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. <\/p>\n

\u2013 suggested a to-go coffee flask b\/c we have a Blue Bottle coffee subscription?
\u2013 some travel accessories b\/c we have\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2014 Chat Joglekar (@joglekar) September 30, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The trick to making curated suggestions useful is to make sure they\u2019re something the user is actually asking for, or at least fit naturally within the current conversation. That way, it feels like the assistant is trying to be helpful, not advertising to you.<\/p>\n

If the product suggestions are going to arrive at random intervals, as Instinct\u2019s have been<\/a>, then they need to be highly personalized, excellent picks \u2014 otherwise the user will feel like they\u2019ve been spammed.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not likely to endear users to the AI agent at a time when it\u2019s competing with agents from bigger companies, like Meta<\/a> and now OpenAI<\/a>, which don\u2019t do this.<\/p>\n

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Nice that it is curated and hopefully it\u2019s good but ask me whether I want the recommendations. I just got a random notification for additional equipment based on a future trip which I didn\u2019t ask for and don\u2019t need. Also allow me to curate my own sources as well as the ones you\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2014 Ash Thaker (@ashthaker1) September 29, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Instinct didn\u2019t share whether it\u2019s currently making money from these recommendations or plans to, but the feature seems ripe for some sort of advertising, commerce, or affiliate play. <\/p>\n

TechCrunch has asked the company for further comment.<\/p>\n

The product suggestions launched shortly after Instinct confirmed its most recent financing, a $1 billion Series C<\/a> round that values the company at $10 billion. The company has not yet said how many people actually use its product, a figure that would help justify that valuation, but in a recent podcast, Shinn noted<\/a> that the agent regularly handles transactions for its users.<\/p>\n

In that same podcast interview, with investor Patrick O\u2019Shaughnessy, Shinn said the platform is approaching a billion dollars in annual transactions made through the agent and that more than 50% of them are related to travel.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission<\/a>. This doesn\u2019t affect our editorial independence.<\/em><\/p>\n