After more than four years of the absence of the founders of the Instagram service from the scene, they are back again with a new application that is described as "Tik Tok News".
On Tuesday, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger announced the launch of their new app, Artifact, which promises a personalized news feed based on cutting-edge AI technology.
In a post on Instagram, 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 are gradually making the app available to users. Anyone can now join a waiting list to try the app.
Unlike Instagram, the new app focuses primarily on articles rather than photos, as Artifac makes recommendations for content based on interests.
And according to (Platformer), which was the first to report the launch of the application, it allows discussion with friends.
The main feed of the new app will display popular articles from large media organizations, as well as other blogs, and the user's feed will become more personalized based on their preferences.
The launch comes as the social media platform experiences new activity in the wake of the turmoil and uncertainty that gripped Twitter during the reign of the new owner, Elon Musk.
A number of services seek to help users capture news in a quick summary. Meanwhile, the rapid rise of the short-form video-sharing service TikTok continues to prompt many apps, including Instagram, to copy its features.
The new Artifac app from Systrom and Krieger has been described by Platformer as a "TikTok for text", and may be a sudden threat to Twitter.
After launching Instagram together in 2010, Systrom and Krieger sold the app to Facebook for $1 billion in 2012. Then they left the company in 2018.
It was reported at the time that the reason behind the departure was tensions between the Instagram founders and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg over the latter's desire to integrate Instagram more into Facebook. Especially since Systrom and Krieger are known to be keen to keep Instagram distinct from Facebook.
Since leaving the company, Systrom and Krieger have created a project focused on the social apps of the future, and according to Platformer, the Artifac app is the first product in that project.
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