An Improved Vine: A Break from AI Content

There’s a new version of Vine aimed at providing an escape from the barrage of artificial intelligence flooding the internet.

Evan Henshaw Plass, who was among the original developers of Twitter and played a key role in bringing Jack Dorsey on board in 2006, yearns for the days when the web wasn’t overwhelmed with “AI slop.”

And, it turns out, he’s not the only one feeling this way.

Last month, he launched DiVine, a reimagined version of the now-defunct six-second video platform. Upon its release, about 150,000 people attempted to download it within hours, which caused the app to crash.

While many users were eager to revisit older Vine content, Henshaw Plass noted that the primary attraction of DiVine was its lack of artificial intelligence. There are no unsettling algorithms curating content; users have the freedom to choose what they view. The app utilizes a verification tool that ensures each uploaded video originates from a camera, not an AI.

“We want a world where choosing to engage with AI content is an option. But major platforms seem to have made the decision that we should all accept AI slop, and that’s not what people want,” he said.

After leaving Silicon Valley and relocating with his family to New Zealand, Henshaw Plass started DiVine as part of a new hacker collective he co-founded with Dorsey this year, called “and Other Stuff.”

This initiative aims to rethink social media, shifting the focus towards decentralization and user control, moving away from a corporate-driven landscape that prioritizes profit.

Understanding that a safe haven from AI was essential to DiVine’s mission, Henshaw Plass also wanted to empower users to control what they see, not just ensure it wasn’t AI-generated.

“The issue with algorithms and AI isn’t just their existence,” he explained. “It’s about who controls them and their intended outcomes.”

“What are these algorithms going to serve? Are they designed with our best interests in mind, or are they catering to someone else?”

Thinking of combining a classic product like Vine with a fresh vision for user control and an AI ban seemed like the right fit.

“This social media experience develops within certain limits,” he expressed. “You have to grasp the essence of storytelling and communication, especially in just six seconds.” Essentially, brevity remains key.

And it really resonated with people. He had planned for a modest beta test capping at 10,000 users, but the test was completed in mere hours. An additional 145,000 individuals attempted to register, leading him to swiftly halt new sign-ups while he worked to revamp server capacity. Until then, he had been the sole person managing the app.

“I thought this would appeal to folks nostalgic for the earlier Internet,” Henshaw Plass acknowledged. “I didn’t foresee it striking such a widespread chord.”

DiVine embodies his philosophy. The app is founded on a social media bill of rights that lays out principles like users owning their identity and audience relationships, selecting their own algorithms, establishing community guidelines, and being able to migrate to different platforms without losing their connections.

While Henshaw Plass wrote much of DiVine’s initial code, its operation is based on an open-source model reminiscent of platforms like Wikipedia and Linux. The app invites contributions from volunteer developers, and he admits he isn’t even certain how many people are currently involved.

In recent months, he has started to assemble a team, bringing on contractors and collaborating with cloud providers for infrastructure. However, he insists that the app’s philosophy remains community-oriented. Social media, in his view, should mirror the open web, built and governed collaboratively, not dominated by one company.

After a brief conversation lasting less than half an hour, Plass logged off to return to coding, focusing on making the app accessible to millions in the upcoming months.

“We aspire for this to be a legitimate alternative to corporate social media. A place where individuals can find meaning, community, and joy,” he concluded.