It's hard to keep up with Instagram, but two app developers are testing this new effort called Artifact.
Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger launched the news show in late January, but those who wanted to try it out had to put themselves on a waiting list for access.
On Wednesday, Artifact opened to the public, allowing news junkies around the world to browse the iOS and Android apps.
Essentially, Artifact is a personalized "AI-powered" news feed. When you first open the program, you will be asked to select at least 10 topics that interest you. The menu spans two screens and contains many options under the most popular headings; healthy life style; technologies and sciences; business and finance; art, design and culture; Sports; around the world and beyond.
You can then add all your subscriptions to the top news posts, and the app promises to prioritize the content of those posts in your news feed.
With artificial intelligence powering the app, Artifact should get better as more people use it. The app recommends selecting at least 25 articles before learning the news flavors and will continue to adjust after that.
By default, when an artifact is opened, the For You tab is displayed, with the tabs for your initial selections next to it. Tap on any of the other hot topics, then browse related topics. If you're not happy with a suggested item, please flag it so the app can make better suggestions next time.
The latest version of Artifact offers tools to personalize your experience, as well as view your reading history and provide insights into how you use it. Also, you can find out what is popular in your network by reaching out to your contacts to see what news interests them. "When you connect your contacts, you'll see personalized articles if at least some of your contacts have read them," the Artifact team explains on their website.
The team also encourages user feedback to further improve the look and feel of the app.
Launching a news app in an already saturated field must be quite a challenge, but Systrom and Krieger know a thing or two about building a successful app, and it's that reputation that will likely convince many to give Artifact a try.
Alternatively, if you want to explore other top news shows, look no further than Digital Trends.
