Bond social app aims to curb doomscrolling with AI-driven features

Legacy social media platforms have long been designed to keep users hooked to their devices, endlessly scrolling through feeds filled with memes and short videos, primarily to maximise engagement for advertising revenue. In recent years, however, a growing number of startups have begun positioning themselves as alternatives, focusing on reducing screen addiction and encouraging real-world experiences instead of endless scrolling.

Bond, which officially launched on Tuesday, is part of this emerging wave. Co-founder and CEO Dino Becirovic says the platform offers an AI-powered approach designed to address what he describes as growing screen addiction among users.

The app functions similarly to traditional social platforms, where users share updates about their daily lives. On Bond, users can post “memories,” including photos, videos, and audio. These entries serve as personal updates but are structured differently from typical social media feeds.

Unlike conventional platforms, Bond is designed to act as an idea-generation system that encourages offline activity. The company says its goal is to help users decide what to do in the real world rather than keep them engaged in endless digital consumption.

Content stored within Bond is used to train its AI system, which analyses user behaviour and preferences to generate personalised, activity-based recommendations. According to Becirovic, the more users share about their experiences, the more accurate and relevant the recommendations become.

For example, if a user frequently posts about their interest in pho but hasn’t had it recently, Bond may suggest nearby Vietnamese restaurants with strong reviews. Similarly, a user interested in heavy metal music might receive notifications about upcoming concerts, such as Iron Maiden performing in their area.

The system is designed to encourage users to leave the app and engage in offline activities rather than “doomscrolling” or spending excessive time online.

The interface resembles Instagram in some ways, but it does not include a traditional endless feed. Instead, user profiles are displayed in clustered layouts. Tapping a profile reveals that user’s current “stories,” which disappear publicly after 24 hours but are stored in a private archive for later access.

Users can browse their own memory history at any time, creating a personal record of their shared experiences.

Bond’s founding team includes professionals with backgrounds at major tech companies such as TikTok, Twitter, and Meta, according to the company. Becirovic previously worked at Kleiner Perkins and Index Ventures, while research lead Arthur Bražinskas previously co-led user signal integration for Google’s Gemini project.

On the business side, Bond is exploring alternative revenue models beyond traditional advertising, which dominates most social platforms. Instead of ads, the company is considering a system in which users can license their personal data stored in the app for AI training, with Bond taking a small commission.

Becirovic describes this as a way for users to “monetise their memories,” suggesting that aggregated user data could become valuable for training future AI models.

In another potential revenue stream, Bond may use its behavioural data to power product recommendation systems for e-commerce platforms, generating value through transactions and improved conversion rates rather than through advertising.

The company emphasises that it does not intend to sell user data for advertising purposes. Users can also delete individual memories or remove their entire profile, with additional privacy controls expected to be introduced over time.

Bond also says it plans to strengthen its encryption systems, though it notes that end-to-end encryption is still in development. For now, user data is stored securely within its systems, according to the company.

At present, Becirovic says monetisation is not the immediate priority. The company’s focus, he adds, is on building a product that becomes more valuable as users contribute more personal memories and experiences.