Yahoo is continuing its strategic push into AI, building on its recent AI-powered features for Yahoo Mail. These enhancements include AI summaries of emails and a Priority Inbox feature akin to Gmail’s. Today, AI-powered version of its Yahoo News app is rolling out, leveraging technology acquired from its latest acquisition, Artifact. This move indicates Yahoo’s ongoing commitment to integrating AI across its services, with plans to extend these features to its Yahoo News website.
Recent updates to the website revealed that Yahoo is testing an AI summaries feature, designed to allow visitors to quickly catch up on news without reading entire articles. This feature aligns with Yahoo’s strategy to enhance user experience by providing concise news summaries.
Independence from Artifact Technology
The AI summaries on the Yahoo News web platform are independent of the technology from Artifact, the AI news app created by Instagram’s founders, which they acquired but later shut down due to its inability to attract a larger audience. Instead, the summaries are part of Yahoo’s broader AI initiative.
Yahoo confirmed that these AI summaries have been in testing for several months on a small percentage of article pages on the Yahoo News website. This limited testing phase explains why many users might not have encountered the AI summaries yet. The company did not provide specific details about the technology behind the summaries or a timeline for a broader rollout.
The AI summaries appear in a lightbox, a web component designed for displaying content. While Yahoo has a partnership with OpenAI for its Yahoo News mobile app, it remains unclear if the same technology is being used for the web-based summaries.
Yahoo’s Strategic AI Initiative
The introduction of AI features across Yahoo’s platforms is part of a larger effort to rejuvenate its older web products and services. The AI-powered Yahoo News app, inspired by Artifact, and the recent AI enhancements in Yahoo Mail signal Yahoo’s belief that AI can drive renewed interest and engagement.
However, the effectiveness of these AI additions in attracting a new audience remains uncertain. Yahoo’s integration of AI into its services aims to provide users with more efficient and personalized experiences, but whether this will translate into a significant increase in user engagement and retention is yet to be determined.
Future Prospects for Yahoo’s AI Efforts
By continuing to innovate with AI, the company hopes to solidify its relevance in the competitive digital landscape. The success of these AI initiatives will depend on their ability to meet user needs and enhance the overall user experience on Yahoo’s platforms.
See also: LinkedIn Leverages AI To Simplify Job Hunting And Enhance User Experience
