News is one of the main areas of internet consumption, and every news portal strives to capture readers with engaging stories. Today, this experience is about to be strongly transformed by artificial intelligence (AI) – specifically Taboola’s “DeeperDive” chatbot, which promises to turn publishers’ content into engaging, unique, and even more accessible material for a wider audience – including those for whom the standard news format is not suitable. Among other things, it will also transform the side processes of a news portal – namely advertising.
Taboola Introduced the “DeeperDive” Chatbot
Introducing the Taboola’s “DeeperDive” chatbot. Image source: Taboola via YouTube
Earlier this summer, Taboola introduced the first industry-level AI-powered answer engine, which is integrated directly into publishers’ websites and provides responses based on their own created content, while naturally embedding related advertising offers.
According to the company’s announcement, its goal is to help publishers remain competitive, since today, in many cases, generative AI search engines collect and use their content without permission or compensation, thereby reducing traffic to the original sources.
The essence of the system is that readers can ask questions about topics that interest them, and the “DeeperDive” chatbot instantly provides answers generated from the created journalistic content.
Similar to other popular AI web engines, this system will not only ask questions but also provide precise answers to users, directly responding to prompts. In addition, it is reported that the AI engine will be able to gather further context and stories from the same publisher’s website, giving readers a richer perspective on the question and more detailed information than a simple one-sentence reply.
It is built on the following principles:
- Smarter and more diverse answers for readers – users receive multifaceted answers based on real human interests and the topics that capture global attention.
- Increased traffic – clear answers with links and recommendations to other relevant articles keep users engaged.
- Advertising opportunities – DeeperDive can create a new revenue stream for publishers. While reading, users can be shown commercial offers relevant to the context.
Publishers in the U.S. and U.K. Joined Taboola’s “DeeperDive” Chatbot
It was announced that the first readers to experience this unique service would be in the U.S., where it was tested by the Gannett publishing network, while in the U.K. the first partner to join the project was The Independent.
The entire system is powered by Taboola’s data analysis engine, which has processed billions of online reader behavior patterns and helps the chatbot provide clear, personalized answers.
How Does DeeperDive Change the News Market?
This further personalizes and improves the user experience, as readers receive relevant information that, according to Taboola, comes from trusted sources. It is convenient for those who want to dive deeper into texts or specific questions but do not have the time to browse multiple websites or search for related articles. It makes reading many times more interactive and richer in terms of content.
On the other hand, “DeeperDive” also creates opportunities for those who find traditional articles a barrier. Users with reading difficulties can ask a question and receive a structured summary or additional information without leaving the same window – making their interaction with online content simpler.
The commercial impact remains unclear. On the one hand, advertising content becomes a necessary aspect for news portals to survive and provide services, and users in many cases may discover useful offers relevant to the topic they are exploring. On the other hand, without specific regulation, this could turn into nothing more than interactive promotional content, where a large portion is just advertising – so much will depend on the publishers themselves.
Final Thoughts
AI chatbots like “DeeperDive” open up completely new opportunities for the internet, transform the news reading experience, and bring commercial potential. Ultimately, only the creators and publishers themselves will decide how to use it – whether to truly help readers better understand the news or simply turn it into an active “sales agent.”
If you are interested in this topic, we suggest you check our articles:
- AI Chatbots vs. Traditional Search Engines: A Shift in How We Find Information
- Chatbots as the Go-To Starting Point for New Client Engagements
- How AI Chatbots Are Delivering Digital-First Customer Experiences
Source: Taboola
