AI Now Making Calls For You: Are You Ready?

Emerging AI assistants are now capable of making phone calls to businesses for users. Instinct Concierge and Meta's Muse are at the forefront of this development, aiming to handle tasks like securing restaurant reservations or addressing billing discrepancies. These AI agents can work across various connected services and act on a user's behalf, moving beyond simple information retrieval to active communication.

Instinct's AI assistant, Instinct Concierge, announced on September 16, is rolling out in early access, allowing it to manage calls and other service tasks. Meta's Muse, launched on September 8, is also testing a similar outbound-calling feature for U.S. businesses. While Muse is available in the U.S. and Canada, both services are pushing the boundaries of AI functionality, presenting users with convenience but also introducing questions about delegation and control.

The convenience of AI handling tedious calls is significant, but it necessitates a deeper consideration of privacy and control. These AI agents can access connected apps and services, potentially including messages, emails, and even voice data, depending on user permissions. Users are advised to carefully review privacy settings and understand what information is being shared and how it might be used for AI training, with options to opt-out in some cases.

Both Instinct and Meta emphasize user control over AI actions. Instinct allows users to opt out of data usage for AI training, though previously trained models may retain improvements. Meta states Muse operates within a secure virtual machine and requires approval for sensitive actions. Users can review audit trails and manage AI access to services, but the evolving capabilities mean regular review of privacy settings and connected accounts is crucial for managing risks.