Rival AI Agents, Instinct and Meta’s Muse, Both Add the Ability to Make Calls
On 17 September 2026 two rival text-based assistants turned on outbound phone calls within hours of each other. Instinct announced Instinct Concierge, a white-glove tier that books restaurants without online reservations, joins cancellation lists and disputes bills. Meta’s Muse, nine days old, opened calls to United States businesses, rolling the beta out first to users who had asked their assistant for it. This article covers what each company shipped, the funding and download numbers behind the race, and the disclosure, authority and recourse questions neither announcement answers.