Direqt wants to help publishers make their own chatbot

The Future. Direqt is helping publishers create customizable AI chatbots that they have full control over. It’s not that publishers don’t like AI. They just don’t want systems like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard to use their content freely and indiscriminately. So, by keeping chatbot tools within their ecosystem, publishers may be able to make the experience on their platform easier and more enjoyable for readers… which typically means more time they’ll spend engaging with content.

My AI
Direqt is making it easier for publishers to harness the power of AI without opening themselves to all the pitfalls of the tech, thanks to proprietary chatbots.

• The chatbots can be placed anywhere — as a messaging service, directly on a publisher’s website, and, soon, on social media.
• They can be used to direct readers to stories in their archives, allow writers to craft stories with the help of generative AI, and build quizzes about content they’ve made in the past.
• And if publishers really want, they can create their own version of ChatGPT since the company works with OpenAI and similar firms for underlying technology.
• Publishers can serve ads directly within consumer-facing chatbots, with Direqt taking a cut of the revenue.

Over 75 publishers have already signed up to use Direqt, including Popular Science, Field & Stream, and The Drive. Mitch Rubenstein, founder of the Sci-Fi Channel and owner of Hollywood.com and Dance Magazine, told TechCrunch the Direqt-created chatbot has increased site engagement by over 200%.

Could AI save the journalism industry?