Bluesky launches Attie, an AI app for custom feeds. This tech bet arrives as social platforms seek new business models.

The Big Picture

Social media faces regulatory and user pressure over opaque algorithms. Twitter-now-X and Meta have faced criticism for their recommendation systems. Bluesky, built on the open AT Protocol, always promised transparency. Attie represents the next phase: giving users complete control.

The app uses Anthropic's Claude model, one of the leading AI companies. Users can request feeds like "posts about folklore, mythology, and traditional music, especially Celtic traditions." Initially confined to a standalone app, the plan is to make them available in Bluesky and other atproto apps.

“A bet on returning algorithmic control to users.”

Why It Matters

This move comes at a crucial time for social media economics. Traditional platforms monetize through advertising driven by proprietary algorithms. Attie challenges that model by putting personalization in user hands. If successful, it could create a new paradigm where value lies not in the central algorithm, but in tools to build it.