Yahoo has acquired Artifact, an AI-driven news aggregation and discovery platform, in a bid to scale-up the platform's News Network and offer a more personalised experience for users.

Created by Instagram co-founders, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, Artifact's mission since its 2023 inception has been to deliver the most relevant stories to users through AI, using proprietary technology to provide curated news and content experiences.

Systrom 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. AI has allowed us to give users a better experience discovering great content they care about. Yahoo recognises that opportunity, and we could not be more excited to see what we’ve built live on through Yahoo News."

Artifact will no longer operate as a standalone app, with its AI-powered personalisation technology instead set to become integrated across to Yahoo and the Yahoo News app.

Yahoo News SVP and General Manager, Kat Downs Mulder, said: "Yahoo was one of the first to combine human and algorithmic curation of news. Since then, the landscape of machine learning and personalisation 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."

Artifact's AI-powered discovery engine surfaces content users most want to see and becomes more attuned to their interests over time. The acquisition will also bring across Artifacts other features, including easy-access to top news, link-sharing capabilities, and tools to prevent clickbait proliferation.

The acquisition of Artifact by Yahoo closed on March 29, 2024. Artifact’s co-founders, CEO, Kevin Systrom and CTO, Mike Krieger, will work with Yahoo in an advisory capacity during this transition.