The co-founders of Instagram are closing the doors on their Artifact news app.
Artifact, the news application developed by Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, is ceasing operations a mere year following its launch. Despite employing an AI-driven methodology to recommend news tailored to users’ preferences, the app failed to garner sufficient traction, prompting the Artifact team to discontinue its development.
“We have built something that a core group of users love, but we have concluded that the market opportunity isn’t big enough to warrant continued investment in this way,”
In a recent blog post, CEO Kevin Systrom announced the initiation of the app’s winding-down process starting today. Users are no longer able to add new comments or posts. However, Artifact will continue to provide access to news content until the end of February.
Since its debut in January 2023, Artifact has introduced a range of captivating features, including AI-generated article summaries, the option to engage in article discussions within the platform, and the capability to flag articles as clickbait (followed by AI-powered rewrites). The app expanded its scope beyond news, allowing users to share interesting web links and embrace a Twitter-like posts feature. Despite these enhancements, CEO Systrom notes that features such as comments and posts demand substantial moderation and oversight, which the current staffing levels cannot sustain.
Systrom mentions that the eight-member team dedicated to Artifact will disband, each member pursuing their individual paths. Expressing personal enthusiasm, he looks forward to venturing into the creation of innovative projects. Systrom emphasizes the boundless opportunities within the AI domain, expressing optimism about the limitless potential for new ideas.
