Bluesky's New AI Tool Attie Faces Backlash from Users

More than 125,000 Bluesky users have blocked the AI assistant in just a few days, making it the second most blocked account on the platform.

Mar. 30, 2026 at 6:03pm by Ben Kaplan

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A highly detailed, glowing 3D illustration of a complex, futuristic AI control panel or data visualization interface, with neon cyan and magenta lights illuminating the various digital components, conceptually representing the power and potential risks of AI technology in social media.The launch of Bluesky's AI assistant Attie has sparked a fierce backlash from users wary of the platform's embrace of AI technology.San Francisco Today

Bluesky, the social media platform that positions itself as an alternative to Twitter, has launched an AI assistant called Attie that allows users to design their own social media algorithms and create custom feeds. However, the response from Bluesky's user base, which skews hostile toward AI, has been overwhelmingly negative, with over 125,000 users blocking Attie's account in just a few days.

Why it matters

Bluesky grew its user base as an alternative to Elon Musk's overhaul of Twitter, which has been plagued by issues like Neo-Nazism and AI-generated content. For many Bluesky users, the platform serves as a reprieve from the more mainstream social internet, where AI is becoming increasingly prevalent. The launch of Attie is seen by some as a betrayal of Bluesky's core values and a surrender to the inevitability of AI's encroachment into everything.

The details

Attie is Bluesky's new AI assistant that allows users to design their own social media algorithms and create custom feeds. However, the response from Bluesky's user base has been overwhelmingly negative, with over 125,000 users blocking Attie's account in just a few days, making it the second most blocked account on the platform, behind only Vice President J.D. Vance.

  • Attie was launched this weekend at Bluesky's Atmosphere conference.
  • As of March 30, 2026 at 12 PM ET, Attie had over 125,000 blocks, surpassing the White House account (122,000 blocks) and the ICE account (112,460 blocks).

The players

Bluesky

A social media platform that positions itself as an alternative to Twitter, with a user base that skews hostile toward AI.

Attie

Bluesky's new AI assistant that allows users to design their own social media algorithms and create custom feeds.

J.D. Vance

The Vice President, whose Bluesky account is the most blocked account on the platform, with around 180,000 blocks.

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What they’re saying

“Right now, AI is undermining human agency at the same time it's enhancing it. The proliferation of low-quality AI-generated content is making public social networks noisier and less trustworthy at a time when we need accurate information more than ever. The signal is getting harder to find exactly when it matters most.”

— Jay Graber, Former Bluesky CEO, now CIO

“I love the moss feed, but maybe I'm in the mood for more variety. Show me "pictures of moss, posts about medieval ballads, deep lore about trees, herbs, and plants.”

— Jay

What’s next

Bluesky has not yet responded to requests for comment on the backlash against Attie. It remains to be seen how the company will address the concerns of its user base and whether it will make any changes to the AI assistant.

The takeaway

The launch of Bluesky's AI assistant Attie has exposed a deep divide within the platform's user base, with many seeing the tool as a betrayal of Bluesky's core values and a surrender to the inevitability of AI's encroachment into social media. This backlash highlights the ongoing tensions between the promise of AI-powered tools and the concerns about their impact on human agency and the quality of online discourse.