Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, co-founders of Instagram, have resurfaced with a brand-new “text-based” app called Artifact.
The name was chosen, according to Systrom, to symbolise the app’s three pillars: “articles, facts, and artificial intelligence.” It functions essentially as a news aggregation app with a TikTok-like recommendation engine.
Users will initially see a central feed with articles from publications like The New York Times when Artifact is first launched. The app will adjust the feed based on your interests as you read more items.
According to Systrom, the seven-person team’s recommendation mechanism gives reading time an advantage over clicks and comments. Additionally, he stated that posts that “promote falsehoods” will not be accepted on Artifact, which would include news articles from both left- and right-leaning sources.
Artifact will eventually have a social component. The co-founders intend to introduce a feed that displays articles from individuals they have followed along with their comments.
Through a direct-message inbox, users will now have the option of privately discussing posts. Systrom and Krieger are now funding the initiative out of their own pockets.
They see Artifact as an early attempt to imagine the social apps of the future. You may sign up for the iOS and Android beta waiting lists if you’re interested in trying it out. The team plans to quickly invite new users, according to Systrom.