Instinct AI and memory: what it keeps and how to stay safe
Instinct is an invite-only personal AI agent from Spear Street Technology that you text or call. It connects to your email, messaging, calendar and device, runs its own persistent computer with cached credentials, and keeps everything in one ongoing conversation, so what it remembers is effectively everything it has seen.
Reviewers and TechCrunch have reported concerns about its terms (a broad license over your materials, including for training), data kept after disconnecting an account, and an email sent without checking first. Read the terms and the checklist below before connecting accounts.
About Morphika: Morphika is secure, shared memory for personal AI agents like Claude Code, Codex and Claude Desktop. How it is secured.
What is Instinct?
- Made by Spear Street Technology, Inc., San Francisco, founded by Noah Shinn, previously a research scientist at Sierra.
- Reached by iMessage, WhatsApp or phone call.
- Invite only: join the waitlist or get an invite from a member.
- Connects to email, messaging, calendar, and device features including screen, audio and location, and acts for you: bookings, email follow-ups, scheduling.
What does Instinct remember?
Instinct works in a single ongoing conversation and operates a persistent machine of its own, with browser access and cached credentials. TechCrunch reported that it stores email data in plain text for later searches. We found no published way to view or edit a structured memory, as you can in Muse.
What concerns have been reported?
| Concern | Reported by |
|---|---|
| Terms grant a perpetual, irrevocable license over broadly defined user materials, including for AI training; the training opt-out applies going forward | Vellum, TechCrunch |
| Data retained, and inbox summaries continuing, after an account was disconnected | TechCrunch, Vellum |
| Prompt injection through email: a tester got it to reveal inbox contents and codes | TechCrunch, Vellum |
| An email sent on a user's behalf without checking first | TechCrunch |
TechCrunch also reported that a deletion problem users raised was later fixed. The product is in private beta and changes quickly; check the sources for the current state.
How can I use a personal agent like Instinct more safely?
- Read the terms, especially on licensing, training and deletion, before connecting accounts.
- Opt out of training in settings as early as possible, since the opt-out isn't retroactive.
- Connect only the accounts it needs, and prefer read-only access where offered.
- Keep one-time codes and password resets away from any inbox an agent can read.
- Ask for confirmation before any message, payment or booking.
- Keep your own record of what matters, somewhere the agent can't rewrite.
Can Instinct use Morphika?
No. As of September 25, 2026 we found no public way to connect an MCP server to Instinct. Morphika, secure memory for personal AI agents, works today with Claude Code, Codex and Claude Desktop. It was built around the questions above: approval before shared memory changes, a verifiable audit log, no API keys, per-connection revoke, and deletion you do yourself. See how Morphika is secured.
Sources
- TechCrunch: Instinct's AI assistant raises privacy and security concerns (August 24, 2026)
- Vellum: Official Instinct breakdown
Sources checked September 25, 2026.
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Published September 25, 2026 · Last updated