Yahoo announced on Tuesday its acquisition of Artifact, the AI-powered news app developed by Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger. While the financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, Artifact will cease to exist as a standalone app, with its AI-driven personalization technology set to be integrated into Yahoo platforms, including the Yahoo News app, in the coming months. It’s noteworthy that Yahoo is the parent company of TechCrunch.
During the transition, Systrom and Krieger will serve in an advisory role at Yahoo. This move follows Artifact’s earlier announcement of winding down its operations due to perceived limited market opportunities. Initially conceived as a news app, Artifact eventually resembled more of a Twitter alternative, facing stiff competition in a crowded market, including Meta’s Threads.
The core technology of Artifact focuses on surfacing relevant content for users, refining recommendations based on their preferences over time. Users benefit from a personalized news feed tailored to their interests. Additionally, the app offered AI tools for news summarization, headline rewriting, and content curation. Yahoo views the integration of these capabilities into its ecosystem as a means to enhance content experiences and personalized recommendations for its users.
Kat Downs Mulder, SVP and general manager of Yahoo News, expressed excitement about continuing the development of Artifact’s technology, emphasizing Yahoo’s commitment to becoming a trusted source of digital information. Systrom echoed this sentiment, highlighting the potential for Artifact’s technology to positively impact millions of users. He emphasized Yahoo’s scale in realizing the product’s vision while underlining the importance of connecting people with reliable news sources in today’s digital landscape.
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