Instagram co-creators Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger have left the social media game after going head-to-head with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, but now they're back with some AI fuel in tow. Say hello to Artifact, a news reading app that describes itself as “a personalized news feed driven by artificial intelligence.” Until now, the app was hidden behind a waiting list, but is now widely available on Android and iOS devices. Artifact's co-founders also have the ambition to create their own content in the future, rather than just putting it together from outside sources.
Artifact offers users a personalized news feed, but first needs to learn about your taste in news sources and topics. According to Bloomberg, to do this, users will “have to select 25 articles over two weeks so they can customize their bids and view their progress in the bottom right corner of the page”. The app shows statistics on the progress made through the news curation algorithm, and once you reach the threshold, you'll find streams and topics presented in different streams on a regular basis. You can browse a list of your favorite publications and see the stories that are prioritized from the outlets you pay for.
Turning news into a social experience
At first glance, Artifact looks like a clean, algorithmically supported news reading app. But the latest version of the app has a social aspect, and that's something Instagram's founders hope to capture in users. Once you've registered your phone number (optional) and allow the app to access your contacts, the app will assign a badge market to articles that are popular around you. “I hope it grows into a social network,” Systrom told Bloomberg. If we choose to go in that direction,” he said.
When you've finished reading at least 10 articles, Artifact will compile a list of your favorite content types, topics, and publishers and focus on related stories going forward. Another nice feature is that you can see your reading statistics in the form of graphs across categories and publications. Artifact also adds a dislike button that tells the underlying algorithm that you no longer want to see this type of content in your feed.