SmartNews, the AI-driven news aggregator, has launched a new app that aims to give readers a more thoughtful and less polarised way to follow the news.
Called NewsArc, the app uses AI to surface long-form journalism and in-depth reporting on complex topics in a deliberate counter to the fast-paced content that dominates many digital platforms.
Rather than optimise for clicks or scrolling time, NewsArc is designed to encourage slower, more focused reading sessions. The company says it wants to create a shared news experience grounded in “discovering the whole story.”
NewsArc is positioned as a companion to SmartNews’s flagship app, which has more than 10 million monthly active users.
SmartNews’s chief technology officer described the app as being for readers who “value serious, independent journalism,” and contrasted it with platforms that rely on outrage or novelty to capture attention. The company’s CEO said the project represents a fusion of editorial judgment and machine learning, and is intended to transform how people engage with the news.
SmartNews has built a reputation for using AI to diversify users’ news exposure and combat misinformation. It sources stories from more than 3,000 publishers and has developed tools to reduce political bias. However, it has also faced turbulence, including layoffs and executive turnover in 2023, even as US usage reportedly grew 200 percent year-on-year.
Source: Noah Wire Services
- https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250805375985/en/SmartNews-Releases-NewsArc-a-New-App-Delivering-High-Quality-News-Powered-by-Innovative-AI-Creating-a-Refreshing-Way-to-Read-the-News?feedref=JjAwJuNHiystnCoBq_hl-bV7DTIYheT0D-1vT4_bKFzt_EW40VMdK6eG-WLfRGUE1fJraLPL1g6AeUGJlCTYs7Oafol48Kkc8KJgZoTHgMu0w8LYSbRdYOj2VdwnuKwa – Original press release. View link for all data
- https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250805375985/en/SmartNews-Releases-NewsArc-a-New-App-Delivering-High-Quality-News-Powered-by-Innovative-AI-Creating-a-Refreshing-Way-to-Read-the-News – SmartNews has launched NewsArc, an AI-driven news app designed to help readers explore complex stories and access journalism that informs, not distracts. Built in partnership with hundreds of publishers, NewsArc surfaces meaningful reporting in a time of increasing noise and polarization. The app provides high-quality news based on understanding and relevance, intentionally surfacing important stories for all users, creating a shared news experience that modern apps have lost. NewsArc is powered by the Arc platform, which deploys large language models and AI agents to sort, filter, and identify patterns in news, encouraging longer, more focused reading sessions to support better comprehension and meaningful engagement. NewsArc is now available for download on iOS and Android devices.
- https://www.adweek.com/performance-marketing/smartnews-launches-us-ios-android/ – SmartNews, a popular Japanese news app, has officially launched in the U.S., offering users a hub of information across various topics from popular news sources. The app uses proprietary algorithms and real-time analysis to determine the day’s top stories, presenting them to users three times a day. Users can assign specific delivery times for notifications on top news stories, such as a morning delivery at 7:30 AM, just in time for their commute. SmartNews updates with new content throughout the day, providing a comprehensive news experience.
- https://www.prweb.com/releases/smartnews_raises_38_million_series_d_to_expand_its_popular_news_discovery_app/prweb13537217.htm – SmartNews has raised $38 million in a Series D funding round to expand its popular news discovery app. The company’s proprietary machine learning technology evaluates more than 10 million articles and online cues daily to uncover the most important and interesting articles for a broad audience. Unlike other news apps, SmartNews employs no human editors and focuses on discovery and diversity to expose users to a wider variety of higher-quality stories and topics. The app has partnered with over 250 publishers in Japan and 150 in the U.S., totaling more than 1,500 publications, including CNN, NBC, Time, the BBC, Fox News, The Huffington Post, and TechCrunch, to distribute content directly on the SmartNews platform.
- https://venturebeat.com/media/smartnews-app-reaches-10-million-monthly-users-as-it-counters-fake-news/ – SmartNews has reached more than 10 million monthly active users in the U.S. and Japan for its news discovery experience, which is curated by machine learning and trusted journalism sources. The app curates news from over 3,000 trusted sources and has seen 200 percent growth year-over-year in the U.S. SmartNews counters ‘fake news’ through machine learning by using natural language processing to correctly categorize news and analyzing various proprietary signals beyond likes and clicks. It examines if the user read the entire article, if the user shared it, or if the publisher has a good performance history. The app also applies political balancing algorithms to ensure multiple viewpoints are expressed on important topics and uses algorithms for diversification to help break the filter bubble by exposing hidden gems that users might not normally see in their usual social network.
- https://techcrunch.com/2024/01/08/as-twitter-x-rivals-explode-news-aggregator-smartnews-struggles-to-retain-users/ – News aggregator app SmartNews faced challenges in 2023, including widespread layoffs in January and a leadership change that saw co-founder Kaisei Hamamoto assume the role of CEO after the abrupt departure of former CEO Ken Suzuki. The app experienced a decline in both downloads and active users, according to recent figures from app intelligence providers Sensor Tower and Appfigures. Founded in 2012 in Japan, SmartNews entered the U.S. market in 2014 and expanded its local news footprint in early 2020 to cover thousands of U.S. cities. The company had previously achieved a valuation of $2 billion in 2021 but faced difficulties in retaining users amid increasing competition from platforms like Twitter/X and other news aggregators.
Noah Fact Check Pro
The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.
Freshness check
Score:
10
Notes:
The narrative is based on a press release issued by SmartNews on August 5, 2025, announcing the launch of NewsArc. This is the earliest known publication date for this information, indicating high freshness. The press release is available on Business Wire.
Quotes check
Score:
10
Notes:
The direct quotes from SmartNews executives in the narrative are unique to this press release, with no earlier matches found online. This suggests the content is original and exclusive.
Source reliability
Score:
10
Notes:
The narrative originates from a reputable organisation, SmartNews, a global leader in news aggregation and AI-driven content curation. The press release is hosted on Business Wire, a well-established press release distribution service.
Plausability check
Score:
10
Notes:
The claims made in the narrative are plausible and consistent with SmartNews’s previous initiatives, such as their efforts to combat misinformation and political bias through advanced machine learning and diversification algorithms. The launch of NewsArc aligns with their mission to redefine news engagement using AI.
Overall assessment
Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS
Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): HIGH
Summary:
The narrative is a fresh, original press release from a reputable organisation, SmartNews, announcing the launch of NewsArc. The content is consistent with the company’s mission and previous initiatives, and the quotes are unique to this release, indicating high credibility.
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