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

An AI startup has launched a new feature that pushes unsolicited product recommendations to users in categories like dining, travel, and shopping, drawing from both AI-generated suggestions and human-curated lists from partners like local chefs and designers. Several prominent users have publicly criticized the rollout on social media, saying the recommendations feel intrusive and irrelevant to their actual needs, comparing the experience unfavorably to spam or aggressive advertising. The feature matters because how AI assistants handle product suggestions could affect their competitiveness against larger rivals that do not employ this approach. The company recently secured significant funding and has disclosed that its platform handles substantial transaction volumes, suggesting the recommendations may represent a new revenue stream through advertising or affiliate arrangements.