In an unexpected turn of events, the co-founders of Instagram, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, have made the decision to shut down their highly anticipated news app, Artifact, just shy of its one-year anniversary. The announcement came in the form of a Medium post by Systrom, outlining that while the app’s core news reading features would remain accessible until the end of February, commenting and posting capabilities were immediately disabled.
Artifact, known for its groundbreaking approach to news consumption and AI-centric functionalities, had garnered attention not only for the reputation of its founders, but also for its innovative features. The app’s reporter-friendly tools, including dedicated author pages, received high praise and quickly established it as a prominent player in Apple and Google’s app stores.
In a blog post, Systrom admitted that although a dedicated group of users loved the app, the team had concluded that the market opportunity wasn’t significant enough to justify continued investment. As a result, the wind-down process has already begun, with users no longer able to add new comments or posts. However, news access will still be available until the end of February.
Although Systrom remained quiet about his future endeavors, he hinted at the possibility of a new AI-focused project, emphasizing the transformative impact of artificial intelligence in various aspects of our lives.
Since its launch in January 2023, Artifact had introduced a range of features, including AI-generated article summaries, in-app commenting, and a unique capability that allowed users to identify clickbait articles and rewrite them using AI.
As the team of eight individuals working on Artifact disbands, Systrom expressed enthusiasm for embarking on new projects. Users and fans of Artifact will have a few more weeks to enjoy the app’s features before it bids its final farewell to the digital realm.
Source:
– “Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger Shut Down Instagram News App, Artifact, After One Year”
The source of the article is from the blog dk1250.com