The Bluesky crew has launched another application — this time, it’s not for social networking, but an AI assistant that enables you to craft your own algorithm, assemble personalized feeds, and, eventually, vibe-code your very own app.

During the Atmosphere conference this past weekend, Jay Graber, Bluesky’s former CEO and now chief innovation officer, along with Bluesky’s CTO Paul Frazee, unveiled the AI app, named Attie, for the first time. Attendees at the conference will act as the first beta testers for this new experience, which utilizes Anthropic’s Claude to develop an interactive social app anchored on Bluesky’s foundational protocol, the AT Protocol (or atproto, for short).

“It’s a brand-new product — it’s not incorporated within the Bluesky app,” interim CEO Toni Schneider explains in an interview. (Alongside his role as CEO, Schneider is a partner at Bluesky investor True Ventures.) “We’ve introduced numerous features within Bluesky — Starter Packs and custom feeds, among others. This stands alone as an independent product, marking the first launch from Jay’s new team.”

With Attie, users can easily create their own custom feed simply by typing commands in natural language, similar to conversing with an AI chatbot. To access the app, users will log in with their Atmosphere credentials (this means the same login used for any application operating on atproto, including Bluesky). Attie will promptly grasp your interests and preferences, as Bluesky and the broader ecosystem function as open systems that exchange data among applications.

You can pose questions to Attie, such as which posts you might enjoy seeing or sharing, and utilize the app to curate a personalized feed tailored to your tastes.

“You have control over it; you customize it, all without needing to write any code or understand how to organize these feeds,” Schneider states. “This marks the start of enabling more individuals to construct on top of the Atmosphere.”

Additionally, he mentions, “It is indeed an AI product, but it’s one that is highly oriented towards people … We believe AI is an incredibly potent technology, but we aim to utilize it to create offerings that truly benefit individuals.”

At its inception, Attie can be utilized to formulate and visualize these feeds, which will subsequently be accessible within Bluesky or any other atproto application. Over time, the objective is to enable Attie’s users to vibe-code their own social applications as well as create tools for others.

Schneider states that Graber and her team began developing the app several months ago, coinciding with her decision to return to creation rather than managing the company.

“I believe she came to realize that there was vastly more she aspired to build, and the CEO position kept her occupied, leading her to feel that she needed more time,” Schneider conveys to TechCrunch. “As she dedicated more time, [and] was relieved of some responsibilities, it became evident that this was where her joy lies. She’s a remarkable leader and visionary, and we prefer her focusing on creating rather than overseeing the operation of the company,” he states.

Graber mentions that currently, major platforms employ AI to serve their own interests rather than their users, aiming to extend the amount of time individuals spend in their applications, harvesting data, and maintaining control over their algorithms.

“We believe AI should benefit individuals, not platforms,” Graber asserted during her announcement of Attie. “An open protocol empowers users directly. You can leverage it to design your own feeds, create software that fulfills your requirements, and discern meaningful information amidst the noise.”

Graber’s choice to reallocate her focus towards protocol and product coincided with the company’s update that it has secured an additional $100 million in funding from a round that concluded last year. The team aspires for this news to convey to the broader community that Bluesky will persist.

“This means we have over three years of financial runway, which is excellent. It signifies stability and security for the entire ecosystem,” Schneider reveals to TechCrunch. It also allows Bluesky’s team the opportunity to confront larger challenges ahead, including implementing privacy controls within the protocol and devising a way to monetize the social platform of 43.4 million users.

However, one thing Schneider assures us is not in consideration is any form of crypto integration — despite the financial support from various crypto investors. This had caused concern among some Bluesky users, who feared the app could become flooded with crypto scams or transform into a payment mechanism.

“It’s the kind of investors who were drawn to crypto due to its decentralized nature, investing in projects built on the blockchain that prioritize decentralization,” Schneider explains regarding Bluesky’s crypto-associated investors. “This represents decentralized social, making it appealing to those who are invested in supporting the platform and the ecosystem opportunity.”

Instead, the company may explore alternative avenues for monetization. The team hasn’t yet determined if Attie will eventually necessitate a fee, as it remains a private beta for the moment. Other considerations on the table include subscription models and hosting services for users interested in managing their own communities through the protocol.

Schneider, previously the CEO of Automattic, the company behind the publishing platform WordPress.com, envisions the potential for the Atmosphere to mirror WordPress in this regard.

“At the core of [the Atmosphere] is a wholly open system, ensuring everyone can participate,” he remarks. “You can have all these independent, decentralized components operating in unity. With WordPress, this transformed into a vast ecosystem generating billions — now over $10 billion annually — circulating through it.”

Schneider elaborates, “Thus, it has expanded significantly, despite being entirely decentralized. And we aspire for the Atmosphere to possess that same capacity for numerous apps and services to coexist, collaborate, and establish an ecosystem.”