After Artifact, the AI news app developed by Instagram’s founders, shut down, a new application named Bulletin has emerged, leveraging AI technology to combat clickbait and provide daily news summaries. However, unlike its predecessor, Bulletin allows users to tailor their news sources similar to traditional RSS readers rather than relying on a predetermined selection of news sources. The incorporation of AI not only eliminates clickbait headlines but also enables users to instantly access summaries of individual articles or entire feeds with a simple click.
Bulletin, crafted by developer Shihab Mehboob, an accomplished indie developer who recently sold his Mastodon client Mammoth to Mozilla, is compatible with various Apple devices such as iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro, with an Apple TV version in the pipeline.
Getting started with Bulletin is effortless, as it offers default feeds across different news categories like World News, Technology, Entertainment, Business, Sports, Fashion, and more. Users also have the flexibility to personalize their news experience by adjusting the feeds through the app’s settings.
While exploring the app’s sections, users can utilize AI to enhance news post titles, combatting clickbait effectively. Additionally, by selecting the “Smart Summary” option, users can obtain a quick summary of the key points within an article, reminiscent of ChatGPT-style summaries, powered by OpenAI’s GPT technology.
Bulletin introduces features reminiscent of Artifact, including diverse AI-powered news summaries presented in various styles like “explain like I’m five” or in Gen Z slang. Moreover, the app offers translations of summaries into local languages and a convenient “copy summary” button for easy sharing.
In the app’s settings, users can customize their news feed by toggling off unwanted news categories or default sources. This customization extends to the “For You” feed, which aggregates articles from all sections. Notably, power users and avid news consumers can integrate any website with an RSS feed into the app, enhancing the breadth of content available.
While Bulletin’s functionality is robust, adding external websites with RSS feeds may pose a challenge due to the manual input required for feed discovery. Despite this, Bulletin offers a unique feature utilizing iOS’s Live Activities to display a news ticker on the Lock Screen, enhancing accessibility.
Looking ahead, Mehboob aims to integrate social network updates into Bulletin, akin to Tapestry, a forthcoming app from The Iconfactory. The app’s AI features are subscription-based, with plans starting at \(3.99 per month, offering anti-clickbait measures and unlimited AI summaries. Additional subscription options include a yearly plan at \)14.99 and a lifetime option priced at $44.99.
