Instinct founder says travel accounts for over half of AI agent platform's transactions

Shinn said the platform is growing 10% day-by-day, with transaction volume increasing at a similar rate. He argued that travel is a natural fit for an AI agent because existing travel agencies and booking sites unify hotel chains, airlines and other services but still require users to navigate a traditional interface.

“People who are not on Instinct use travel agencies (or sites) to book hotels or flights. What’s the benefit of that interface? They properly unify different hotel chains, airlines, and services, and present them in a nice way for users, who have the option to check out immediately,” Shinn said. “I think there is a better experience with Instinct or other interfaces where users can say ‘Hey, I need to be in New York tonight; it’s urgent’.”

Shinn also discussed restaurant reservations during the interview. He said most restaurants use a first-come-first-serve reservation system, which does not account for a diner’s special occasion. An agent can check restaurant sites every five seconds and inform the user about available slots, he said. Shinn hinted that Instinct wants to reinvent reservations and give users preferential treatment.

“If you take restaurant reservations from scratch, from the user’s end, they want the reservation for a significant life event that they might have,” Shinn said. “On the restaurant end, they just want interesting people. They want special occasions.”

Some observers pointed out that agents can lie about anniversaries and special occasions just to book a table at a restaurant. They also said that some restaurants prefer local patrons because they are regulars and bring more business to the outlet.

Instinct recently raised $1 billion in Series C funding at a $10 billion valuation from Sequoia Capital, Benchmark Capital and Coatue. The 14-member startup is competing with Meta’s Muse and Khosla-backed Wajo in the personal agent space.