• Former Snap engineer Evan Spiegel has launched a new social network called Butterflies, which aims to create a space where AI and humans can coexist. Butterflies is designed to be a more thoughtful and nuanced alternative to existing social media platforms, with features that encourage users to engage in deeper conversations and build meaningful connections.

• The platform incorporates AI-powered tools that assist users in content creation, moderation, and discovery, but Spiegel emphasizes that the AI is not intended to replace human interaction. Instead, the goal is to enhance the user experience by providing helpful suggestions and insights, while still preserving the human-to-human connections that are central to social networking.

• Butterflies has attracted significant investor interest, raising $50 million in a seed funding round led by prominent venture capital firms. The company plans to use the funds to further develop its technology, expand its user base, and explore ways to monetize the platform without relying on invasive data collection or advertising practices that have been criticized on other social media platforms.