Yahoo acquires AI-powered news app Artifact

Yahoo has bought Artifact, an AI-powered news aggregation and discovery app developed by Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger. The acquisition is focused on acquiring Artifact's proprietary technology rather than its eight-person staff.

Kevin Systrom, CEO and Co-Founder of Artifact, said:

We built an intuitive product experience that users love and has the opportunity to benefit millions of people. Yahoo brings the scale to help the product achieve what we envisioned while upholding the belief that connecting people to the trusted sources of news and information is as critical as ever

The app, which was released last year, let users to connect with their connections and see what others were reading, among other features. It also employed AI to condense large news stories into a few bullet points.Yahoo will use Artifact's technology to better its news offerings, despite the app being taken out.

Kat Downs Mulder, SVP and General Manager of Yahoo News, said:

Yahoo was one of the first to combine human and algorithmic curation of news. Since then, the landscape of machine learning and personalization has changed dramatically and Artifact has innovated with best-in-class technology to meet the moment.

Artifact has become a beloved product and we’re thrilled to be able to continue to grow that technology and further our mission of becoming the trusted guide to digital information and the best curator connecting people to the content that matters most to them.

Yahoo will employ Artifact technology to categorize, curate, and personalize content on Yahoo News and other platforms. Artifact's AI-powered discovery engine generates a news feed for readers while also adapting to their preferences over time. Artifact also included mechanisms to avoid clickbait proliferation, easy sharing options, and more, all of which Yahoo may now use to differentiate itself from the competition.

Artifact’s co-founders, CEO Kevin Systrom and CTO Mike Krieger, will serve as consultants during the changeover.