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| Instagram founder launches Artifact app called Tik Tok News |
After an absence of more than four years, the founders of the Instagram service have returned with a new application called Tik Tok News.
On Tuesday, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger announced the launch of their new app, Artifact, which promises to deliver personalized news feeds powered by the latest AI technology.
In an Instagram post, Krieger said he and Systrom have been working with a talented team for more than a year since the app launched. He added that they have started rolling out the application to users gradually. Now anyone can join the queue to try the app.
Unlike Instagram, the new app focuses primarily on articles rather than photos, with Artifac recommending content based on interests. According to the website (Platformer) that reported the launch of the app, it enables chatting with friends.
The new app's main feed will display popular articles from major media outlets and other blogs, and users' feeds will be more personalized based on their preferences.
The social media platform has seen renewed vigor after Twitter plunged into turmoil and uncertainty under new owner Elon Musk.
Many services try to help users get information quickly. Meanwhile, the rapid rise of short-form video-sharing service TikTok continues to prompt many apps, including Instagram, to replicate its features.
Systrom and Krieger's new Artifac app, dubbed "tiktok of text" by Platformer, could pose a surprising threat to Twitter.
After launching Instagram together in 2010, Systrom and Krieger sold the app to Facebook for $1 billion in 2012. They left the company in 2018.
The departure was reportedly due to tensions between Instagram founder and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who wanted more of Instagram to be integrated into Facebook. Especially after Systrom and Krieger differentiated Instagram from Facebook.
After leaving the company, Systrom and Krieger created a project focused on future social applications, and according to Platformer, the first product of the project was the Artifac app.