Instinct, an AI personal assistant developed by Spear Street Technology, has sparked privacy and security concerns among users. Despite its impressive capabilities, some users have raised alarms about the AI’s access to personal data and its terms of service. The AI assistant connects to users’ applications and devices, including email, messaging apps, and device sensors, allowing it to perform various tasks like booking appointments and managing emails. However, users have expressed worries about the extent of data access and control. According to users, the AI has been granted a broad license to access, store, and use user data for training its models, raising significant privacy concerns. Source: techcrunch
Several users have highlighted specific issues with Instinct’s data handling. One user, Peter Yang, noted that the AI did not delete his Gmail records when requested, though the team later added a tool for deleting external data. Another user, Claire Vo, found that Instinct continued to summarize her inbox even after disconnecting access, with the AI confirming that emails were stored in plain text for later searches. These incidents have led to growing skepticism about the AI’s data security and user control. Source: techcrunch
Instinct was created by a small team led by former Sierra research scientist Noah Shinn and is currently in private testing. The AI’s terms of service allow it to access and use user data for training models and to act on users’ behalf through binding agreements. Critics argue that the level of access and autonomy granted to the AI raises significant privacy and security risks, with some users expressing that they would not trust the AI with their personal information. Source: techcrunch
