Highlights

Bluesky’s AI assistant Attie, originally launched to help users create custom social feeds, now includes a Quests feature that lets users research information and news spreading across the broader Bluesky network and any app using the AT Protocol. This expansion turns Attie into an open social research tool, able to surface trending topics and identify influential accounts. The company is positioning Attie to lower barriers to using the AT Protocol while exploring potential monetization, all as Bluesky seeks growth after user expansion slowed.

Sentiment Analysis

• Overall sentiment: mixed-to-positive. The update is framed as a constructive step for users who want better ways to explore the open social web, highlighting potential benefits like improved research capabilities and tools to counter misinformation. The progress bar reflects a cautiously optimistic tone, emphasizing usefulness while acknowledging community concerns and business pressures.
  
  
  

  
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Article Text

Bluesky’s AI assistant, Attie, is broadening its scope from a bespoke feed-building tool to a more open-ended research assistant that can scan the wider ecosystem of apps built on the AT Protocol. The company introduced a new Quests feature that enables users to ask open questions about what’s trending or gaining traction across the network often called the Atmosphere. This expansion makes Attie a means to gather context and surface noteworthy conversations across not just Bluesky itself but any integrated application on the same protocol.

The move comes as Bluesky’s user growth has cooled since a rapid expansion last year. After doubling to about 40 million registered accounts during the previous year, the platform now reports roughly 45.6 million registered accounts. In response, Bluesky has been exploring tools and services designed to attract and retain users and, potentially, to generate revenue. Attie, first launched in March, had already offered users the ability to create personalized algorithms and custom feeds without writing code; Quests extends that functionality by letting the assistant proactively gather and summarize information across the open social web.

With Quests, users can request research-oriented outputs such as summaries of trending topics or lists of influential accounts within a given domain or location. By aggregating signals from across the AT Protocol, Attie aims to help people find relevant information amid the noise. Bluesky presents this capability as a tool for making sense of conversations and combating misinformation, positioning Attie as a means for users to discover and verify information rather than merely consume algorithmically chosen content.

Bluesky leadership has framed Attie as a way to lower the expertise needed to work with the AT Protocol and to give more people the power to customize their social experience. Jay Graber, the company’s chief innovation officer and former CEO, described Attie as an aid for understanding the internet and curbing misinformation by making research tools more accessible. Graber’s remarks emphasize the belief that tools that clarify and explain will prove more valuable than those that add confusion.

The company is also redesigning Attie with improved accessibility features and a new logo, signaling ongoing product development. At present, the updated Attie experience is rolling out in beta, and access is being granted via a waitlist over the coming weeks. The phased rollout suggests Bluesky is testing both the feature set and user reception before wider availability.

Attie’s expansion occurs against a backdrop of mixed feelings among Bluesky’s community about AI. Some users have resisted AI for economic, political, or environmental reasons, creating a tension between the community’s preferences and Bluesky’s need to fund development and sustain the AT Protocol’s ecosystem. Bluesky closed a funding round that raised $100 million in 2025, providing runway to experiment with features like Attie and to consider various monetization options, including premium subscriptions or tools aimed at advanced users.

While Attie is currently offered free of charge, Bluesky has explored the idea of charging for advanced features in the future. The company is balancing product innovation with community sentiment, aiming to introduce functionalities that demonstrably help users make sense of the network while maintaining trust. Future iterations of Attie are expected to refine accessibility, user controls, and research capabilities as the company gathers feedback from beta participants.

In sum, the Quests feature marks a notable shift in Attie’s role: from a personalized feed builder to an instrument for open social research across the AT Protocol. By surfacing trends, influential accounts, and contextual summaries, Attie seeks to empower users who want clearer, customizable views of conversations happening across the broader social web. Whether this approach will broaden Bluesky’s appeal and support sustainable business models remains a central question as the platform continues to iterate and engage its community.

Key Insights Table