In an Instagram post, Krieger said he and Systrom “have been working with a talented team” for over a year to launch the service. (Credit: Reproduction/Social Network)
More than four years after Instagram’s founders left the company, they’re back with a new app. Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger announced on Tuesday (31) the launch of Artifact, an application that promises “a personalized news feed” powered by artificial intelligence.
In an Instagram post, Krieger said he and Systrom “have been working with a talented team” for over a year to launch the service. “We are gradually letting people in as we scale up,” wrote Krieger. A waiting list to participate was opened to the public this Tuesday (31).
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Unlike Instagram, the app is more focused on articles than photos. Artifact will recommend content based on interests and allow discussion with friends, according to Platformer, which was first to report on the launch. A main feed will display popular articles from major media organizations to smaller bloggers, and a user’s feed will be more personalized based on what they click on.
The launch comes at a time of renewed activity in the social media world. After the turmoil and uncertainty on Twitter under new owner Elon Musk, several newer services have found traction, helping users get personal news and updates in one feed. Meanwhile, TikTok’s rapid rise continues to prompt a number of apps, including Instagram, to copy its features.
After launching Instagram together in 2010, Systrom and Krieger sold the app to Meta for $1 billion in 2012. The pair left Instagram in 2018, with reports at the time suggesting the departure was due to tensions with CEO Mark Zuckerberg on the app’s direction and a desire to further embed it within Facebook.
“One of the main characteristics of Instagram has been its independence and uniqueness from Facebook. The founders guarded that closely,” said Debra Aho Williamson, principal analyst at eMarketer, at the time.
Since then, Systrom and Krieger have created a venture focused on the social apps of the future, according to Platformer. Artefato is the first product of this undertaking.
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