The Vergecast podcast released an episode on October 6, 2026, examining the emerging category of AI assistant agents. Hosts David Pierce and Allison Johnson tested several products, including Meta's Muse, OpenAI's Dots, and startup Instinct, to assess how effectively these tools can complete tasks through conversational interfaces. Their investigation focused on the practical productivity users might achieve versus the compromises involved in delegating work to AI systems. The episode forms part of The Verge's ongoing coverage of artificial intelligence developments and their implications for everyday technology use.