In the context where the media industry remains cautious towards AI, a news reading app named Particle is attempting to shift this paradigm. Developed by former Twitter engineers, this application aims to enhance users' comprehension of news while seeking mutually beneficial collaborations with traditional media institutions.
Particle was co-founded by former Twitter Senior Director of Product Management, Sara Beykpour, and former senior engineers from both Twitter and Tesla, Marcel Molina. The company has secured $4.4 million in seed funding and an additional $10.9 million in Series A funding led by Lightspeed.
Unlike other AI news tools, Particle employs a unique operational model. The app not only provides users with summarized key points of news but also introduces several innovative features. Users can access a simplified version of complex news with the "Explain Like I'm Five" mode, or opt for the "Just the Facts" mode to understand the five Ws (who, what, when, where, why) of a news story. Additionally, the app supports multilingual summaries and audio playback of news.
In terms of its business model, Particle has established partnerships with multiple media outlets including Reuters, Agence France-Presse, and Fortune, integrating their content via APIs. Partner media receive priority display within the app, with their links highlighted in gold. The app's design emphasizes traffic conversion, featuring prominently displayed links to article sources and journalist profiles, aiming to deliver tangible value to media partners.
Two standout features of Particle are noteworthy: the "Contrast" tool, which visualizes the spectrum of different political perspectives on the same event across various media outlets, helping users break out of information bubbles; and the AI chatbot feature, which allows users to ask in-depth questions about news content and receive instant answers.
Technically, Particle integrates multiple AI models including OpenAI's GPT-4, Anthropic, and Cohere, along with traditional AI technologies from Google. The company claims its technology reduces the incidence of AI accuracy issues from one percent to one in ten thousand. Furthermore, Particle plans to introduce human editors to optimize AI content management and front-page curation.
Beykpour stated that Particle is exploring more ways to collaborate with media, including discussions on reasonable access mechanisms for paywalled content. Currently, the app is available for free on the iOS platform, supporting iPhone and iPad devices.