The app was inspired by TikTok’s AI-based prediction of videos that suited a user’s preferences.

Instagram co-founders, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, are launching Artifact, a news reading app that uses machine learning to understand users’ interests and offers a personalized newsfeed of articles from a curated list of publishers.

The app features a direct messaging option and automatically switches to dark mode at night.

It also removes posts that promote falsehoods, rewards engaging material, and allows users to control comments on their posts.

Artifact is powered by the transformer technology and is available on Android and iOS. The name Artifact is a combination of ‘articles, facts and artificial intelligence.’

The AI behind the app understands your interests and will serve up similar posts and stories in the future. The idea is similar to that of TikTok, which displays videos based on algorithmic predictions of your taste and interests, and doesn’t need to know who you follow or like.

Systrom and Krieger have been working on Artifact after they sold Instagram to Facebook (NASDAQ: META) four years ago. The duo is self-funding the app, which has opened up a waitlist for interested users. Alternatively, they can join by getting an invite.

Systrom said in an interview that algorithmic predictions were the way to go in social media. “What was funny to me is, as I looked around, I was like, ‘Man, why isn’t this happening everywhere in social? Why is Twitter still primarily follow-based? Why is Facebook?’” he said.

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