https://agentplaybox.com/news/Sourced AI agent newsenhttps://agentplaybox.com/news/grok-bot-gets-its-own-inbox/https://agentplaybox.com/news/grok-bot-gets-its-own-inbox/Fri, 09 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000Grok Bot started rolling out dedicated @mail.grokbot.com inboxes, so an agent can sign up for services and write to businesses without using the owner's personal mailbox. Team admins must switch the feature on. Send limits and retention rules were not published at launch.https://agentplaybox.com/news/tab-emerges-from-stealth/https://agentplaybox.com/news/tab-emerges-from-stealth/Wed, 07 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000Tab, a personal assistant you text on iMessage or WhatsApp, came out of stealth at a reported USD 300M valuation without disclosing the amount raised. It has its own phone number, computer and wallet, and asks for approval before paying for anything. It is in private beta.https://agentplaybox.com/news/openai-launches-dots/https://agentplaybox.com/news/openai-launches-dots/Tue, 29 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000At DevDay, OpenAI introduced Dots: always-on agents powered by GPT-6 Astra, each with a cloud computer and access to 4,000+ apps via plugins. They roll out first to ChatGPT Pro and Business Premium users in eligible markets; Pro access excludes the EEA, UK and Switzerland at launch, per The Decoder.https://agentplaybox.com/news/instinct-raises-1b/https://agentplaybox.com/news/instinct-raises-1b/Mon, 28 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000Personal-agent startup Instinct raised a USD 1B Series C from Sequoia, Benchmark and Coatue, valuing it at USD 10B, about a month after its USD 2.5B round. The product is still invite-only.https://agentplaybox.com/news/orbits-pre-seed/https://agentplaybox.com/news/orbits-pre-seed/Wed, 16 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000Toronto/San Francisco startup Orbits closed nearly USD 2M (about CAD 2.6M) led by a16z Speedrun to expand Bit, an assistant for family calendars, groceries, chores and home upkeep. The app is on iOS and Android.https://agentplaybox.com/news/meta-launches-muse/https://agentplaybox.com/news/meta-launches-muse/Tue, 08 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0000Meta introduced Muse in the US on iOS, Android, muse.ai and WhatsApp. Each user's agent runs in a dedicated 'Secure VM'; a 'Confidential VM' with user-held keys is promised later. There is a free tier with paid plans for heavier use.https://agentplaybox.com/news/instinct-series-b/https://agentplaybox.com/news/instinct-series-b/Wed, 26 Aug 2026 08:00:00 +0000Instinct, an assistant you text or call, raised a USD 250M Series B co-led by Index Ventures and Benchmark, bringing total funding to USD 350M. TechCrunch also noted online privacy concerns about its permissions.https://agentplaybox.com/news/pally-seed/https://agentplaybox.com/news/pally-seed/Thu, 06 Aug 2026 08:00:00 +0000Y Combinator startup Pally raised a USD 5.2M seed at a USD 30M valuation, led by Cyber Fund and Y Combinator. Users text a number; Pally syncs with Gmail, Outlook, Slack, Notion and iMessage.https://agentplaybox.com/news/cognition-acquires-poke/https://agentplaybox.com/news/cognition-acquires-poke/Fri, 24 Jul 2026 08:00:00 +0000According to PitchBook, Cognition completed the acquisition of Poke, the messaging-based personal assistant, on 24 July 2026. Poke had earlier raised USD 25M in total.https://agentplaybox.com/news/poke-300m/https://agentplaybox.com/news/poke-300m/Wed, 08 Apr 2026 08:00:00 +0000Poke, an assistant that works over text, added USD 10M on top of its USD 15M seed, reaching a USD 300M post-money valuation. Its pricing adapts to how heavily you use real-time automations.