News aggregation startup Artifact, co-founded by Kevin Systrom, remains optimistic about AI’s future. Even as he develops a new app that utilizes innovative AI technologies, Systrom rejects the idea of AI doomerism. He acknowledged the valid concerns surrounding AI but expressed a belief that these technologies will ultimately empower individuals.
“My perspective is that with each wave of new technologies, people often worry about job loss and other negative outcomes,” he said. “However, if we look back through history at major advancements like the internet, personal computers, and mobile devices, they have unlocked numerous opportunities in our lives.” Systrom added, “Yes, some jobs have disappeared, and fields like education have evolved — where once we trusted students to write their own papers, that’s now questionable. Yet, we adapt, discovering new roles and capabilities. These technologies can empower people, and I see that as a far more likely outcome.”
This view diverges from many in the AI community who caution against potential existential risks. Notable figures such as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis have recently called for global awareness regarding AI's implications.
Systrom’s app, co-founded with Instagram’s Mike Krieger, employs cutting-edge AI to enhance the news consumption experience. Given the prevalence of clickbait and misinformation, this is a critical endeavor. Artifact offers users a tailored news experience, enabling them to curate and share links with others.
The app harnesses AI to perform various functions, such as summarizing articles, transforming sensational headlines into factual statements, and customizing news selections for users. Moreover, Artifact uses AI to prioritize high-quality content over mere clickbait. One remarkable feature of the app is its ability to spotlight lesser-known but popular writers.
“The authors who excel on our platform may not be household names. That’s one of the most exciting aspects of Artifact — we provide opportunities for these independent voices to emerge,” Systrom noted.
Personalized news app Artifact acts as a discovery tool with its innovative Links feature.
AI's capacity to assess story performance on Artifact extends beyond simple click metrics. Systrom drew a comparison to another app (unspecified) that recently introduced a tab to highlight positive stories rather than the sensational or alarming ones. While this other app operates similarly to Artifact, it embodies a different philosophy.
“I thought, instead of merely directing users to distressing stories, we could create a platform that avoids such negativity,” Systrom said. “We aim for a level of quality and integrity that enhances the user experience beyond just the headlines that attract attention,” he explained.
Systrom's inspiration for Artifact partly stemmed from the transformative potential of AI. He noted that AI increasingly influences social networking by curating content not just based on user connections but also on their interests.
“That concept fascinated me, particularly with what we’ve seen from TikTok,” he shared. “We recognized a significant issue in how people consume information — particularly news — and felt there was a pressing need for improvement.”
His vision was to build an application focused on sharing genuinely interesting and valuable news headlines rather than leveraging algorithms for exposure. This ambition led to Artifact’s latest release, Links, allowing users to share noteworthy URLs that might resonate with fellow readers. This feature also enriches the personalization algorithms, facilitating content discovery through AI.
Looking ahead, Systrom admits that Artifact is still navigating the quest for product-market fit. He believes that advancements in machine learning, large language models (LLMs), and mobile technology will be crucial to the app's success; however, the startup is still determining how to scale effectively.
“What resonates most with our users is the freedom to explore beyond a limited set of publishers, harnessing AI to uncover interesting links from across the web,” he concluded.
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