Noscroll: the AI that takes over your doomscrolling

The startup Noscroll offers an innovative solution for those looking to delegate their doomscrolling. This term refers to the habit of endlessly scrolling through often anxiety-inducing news feeds. Noscroll, powered by an artificial intelligence bot, scans news feeds, information sites, and online discussions on your behalf, notifying you only when significant events occur.

Noscroll's slogan, "No news feed. No mental fatigue. No toxic content. Just signal.," succinctly summarizes the company's goal. The concept relies on a bot that reads the web for you, but its implementation requires a complex infrastructure.

Nadav Hollander, former CTO of the NFT marketplace OpenSea, founded Noscroll after selling his decentralized finance startup to OpenSea in 2022. He explains that the idea came from his ambivalent relationship with the social platform X. After leaving OpenSea, he spent a lot of time on X, which he finds both entertaining and informative, but also culturally toxic and disturbing, comparing it to junk food. "You just feel bad afterward," he confides.

Hollander wanted to disconnect from the app without missing important news, which led him to create Noscroll. The service was launched to the public just a few days ago.

To start using Noscroll, simply send a message to the AI bot at (415) 718-4828. The bot will then send you a link to connect your X account to the service. This authentication allows Noscroll to access your preferences, bookmarks, as well as the accounts and posts you follow.

The bot utilizes a variety of standard AI models, operating on the company's proprietary infrastructure. These models have been customized with numerous instructions, giving the bot a unique voice and communication style.

Users can interact with the AI agent in natural language, indicating the types of news or topics they wish to follow, as well as those they prefer to avoid. The bot then prepares a sample summary.

To function, the AI is not limited to X. It also pulls information from news sites, blogs, Reddit, Hacker News, Substack, and many others. It can even access research papers, local politics, or any other source you might recommend for verification.

Instead of spending your time scrolling through endless news feeds, Noscroll sends you news summaries via text, at a frequency that suits you best. For example, a casual user might prefer a weekly update, while a news enthusiast might opt for several messages a day.

These summaries consist of a collection of news links accompanied by a brief article summary from the AI. If you want to dive deeper, you can click on the links to read the full article in your preferred browser.

You also have the option to respond to the AI bot to ask questions and discuss the news you read, just as you would with other AI chatbots. You can also add it to a group chat or a Telegram group for others to interact with the service. Other messaging applications will be supported later, according to the company.

The bot is also capable of detecting breaking news that deserves immediate attention and will send you a message as soon as it occurs.

Over time, the AI learns to better understand your interests and uses this information to refine the types of content it sends you, according to the company.

Currently, the service is offered at $9.99 per month, but it provides a free sample of news summaries so you can customize it according to your interests and try it for seven days. You can cancel your subscription at any time. Hollander mentions that Noscroll may explore variable pricing options in the future.

While Noscroll is particularly useful for tech professionals struggling to keep up with the constant flow of news and updates on AI, the service is not limited to tech topics. You can follow just about any subject: reality TV, your favorite band, local news, your friends' posts, unread newsletters, or any other topic that interests you.

Hollander has been surprised to see how users leverage the service beyond the tech sector. "People are following really niche news about the anime industry and local restaurant openings in Kyoto," he explains.

Users are also looking to stay informed about job offers, tracking layoffs, and much more. Journalists have also taken advantage of the tool to follow topics like local politics and events.

"I think the interesting archetype is anyone who has a professional need to be very connected and keep a close eye on things. It's very helpful to have an assistant doing that for you in your field," he adds.

The AI bot has seen rapid adoption and has already attracted interest from investors. Hollander, who developed the bot with his friend, an open-source developer known by the pseudonym @z0age on X, indicates that the two have not yet decided on the direction to take in light of the attention they are receiving.

Noscroll is available for trial at Noscroll.com, where you can click the "Text your agent" button to get started.