AI-Powered News App Artifact Continues Operations Despite Shutdown Rumors

Artifact’s Unexpected Survival: Instagram Co-Founders Keep AI-Powered News App Alive

In a surprising turn of events, Artifact, the critically acclaimed AI-driven news app created by Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, may not be shutting down as initially planned. Despite announcing in January that the award-winning app would cease operations due to insufficient market opportunities, Artifact has continued to function well past its intended end-of-life date in February 2024.

A Glimmer of Hope for Artifact Fans

Systrom revealed to The Zero Byte that he and Krieger are actively working to maintain Artifact for the foreseeable future, exploring various avenues to keep the app running. This news comes as a beacon of hope for Artifact enthusiasts who have grown fond of the app’s innovative features.

“It takes a lot less to run it than we had imagined. It will still likely go away, but we’re exploring all possible routes for it going forward.”

With only Systrom and Krieger at the helm, the possibility of an exit deal remains on the table.

Artifact’s Innovative Use of AI

Artifact made waves upon its launch, not only because it marked the first significant venture into a new social app by Instagram’s co-founders but also due to its ingenious application of AI technology. The personalized news reading app harnessed the power of AI to help users discover the most relevant news from a curated selection of sources. It also boasted features such as AI-powered news summaries in various styles (e.g., “Gen Z” or “Explain Like I’m Five”) and the ability to rewrite clickbait headlines for improved clarity.

The Rise of AI in News Summarization

Following Artifact’s announcement of its impending closure, interest in using AI for news summarization has surged. Browser startup Arc implemented an ai-powered-pinch-to-summarize-feature-is-clever-but-often-miss-the-mark/”>AI-powered “pinch to summarize” feature before securing a $50 million fundraise. Other startups, such as RSS reader Feeeed, AI-powered news reader Bulletin, and Particle, an AI news reader built by former Twitter engineers, have also entered the fray. Particle, led by Sara Beykpour, former senior director of Product Management at Twitter, and Marcel Molina, former senior engineer at both Twitter and Tesla, recently raised $4.4 million in seed funding, signaling growing investor interest in this space.

The Future of Artifact

While Artifact’s early adopters may be disappointed by the removal of its social features, such as commenting and posting, the app continues to offer its core news reading and AI summarization capabilities in its current version. With Systrom and Krieger’s self-funding of “single-digit millions” and their determination to explore all possible avenues for the app’s future, Artifact’s journey may not be over just yet.