Bluesky deploys AI research tool to monetise slowing network
Bluesky is expanding its AI assistant into a research tool to drive engagement and revenue, testing the patience of its anti-AI user base.
Bluesky has upgraded its AI assistant, Attie, with a feature called Quests that allows users to research trends and identify influential accounts across its decentralised social network. The tool, currently in beta, marks a shift from simply building custom feeds to acting as an open-ended search engine for the Atmosphere, the nickname for the broader AT Protocol ecosystem. This includes not only the main Bluesky app, but also any third-party application that integrates with the underlying protocol.
The launch comes as Bluesky’s rapid expansion cools. The network doubled to 40 million users last October but now reports just 45.6 million registered accounts. Faced with this slowing growth, the company is hunting for viable ways to monetise its platform and fund the continued development of the AT Protocol.
This creates a delicate commercial balancing act. A significant portion of Bluesky’s user base opposes artificial intelligence for economic, political, and environmental reasons. Yet, after raising $100 million in a funding round that closed in 2025, the company—now led by CEO Toni Schneider—must demonstrate a path to revenue.
Attie, which debuted in March, is free for now. However, the company has openly toyed with the idea of charging for the service in the future. The addition of Quests is designed to make the AT Protocol more accessible to non-technical users, potentially creating a tier of power users willing to pay for advanced network analytics.
Jay Graber, who stepped down as CEO in March to become chief innovation officer, framed the move as an antidote to online noise. “Attie’s AI is a tool that helps you make sense of the internet, helping you fight back against the proliferation of misinformation and noise by giving you the tools to find the truth yourself,” she wrote. “We want Attie to reduce the barrier to entry and expertise required to learn how to use the AT Protocol, and to put the tools for customizing your experience in the hands of anyone who wants them.”
“Our bet is that tools that help people make sense of the world will prove to be more useful than those that fill it with confusion,” Graber added. For European investors and tech regulators tracking alternatives to dominant social media platforms, Bluesky’s pivot will be a critical test case. It reveals whether an open-network model can build sustainable revenue without resorting to the opaque, AI-driven advertising models that currently dominate the sector.
Users will be invited to test the redesigned assistant from a waitlist in the coming weeks. Graber noted that more accessibility features and a new logo are part of a broader redesign rolling out in the months ahead.
