Instinct's 'magic' AI agent demands total access — and total data ownership
instinct, a highly capable ai agent from former sierra scientist noah shinn, demands broad access to user data but grants itself an irrevocable license to use it, prompting security warnings from early testers.
instinct, a new autonomous agent operated by spear street technology and created by former sierra researcher noah shinn, connects to messaging, calendars, and audio to perform complex tasks like booking flights and managing inboxes. despite praise for its capabilities, beta testers circulated screenshots showing the terms of service grant an irrevocable, perpetual license to all user materials and inputs, including keystrokes and screen captures. users reported that the agent failed to delete gmail records upon request and continued summarizing emails after access was revoked, storing data in plain text. these findings highlight the significant privacy risks inherent in highly autonomous ai agents.