Otherweb Introduces AI Chatbot as a New Way to Consume the News

Users speak directly to News Concierge and get answers that incorporate information from multiple articles and news sources

The ability to find information online has progressed from web directories to search engines and eventually to content feeds, which have dominated applications and websites since the late 2000s. However, as the amount of content increases exponentially, consumers feel like their feeds are overloaded with low-quality stories. They want a more direct way to access only the content that interests them.

Otherweb, an AI-driven news aggregator and registered public benefit corporation, has introduced a “News Concierge” chatbot on its platform that is already used by 9 million people worldwide. News Concierge has access to over 900 news sources in real-time, covering global news on every topic, and local news in more than 50 countries worldwide.

The chatbot can understand users’ questions and customize its answers by topic, time period, or specific details users want to include or exclude. It is the first news-specific AI tool that delivers a single answer incorporating information from many news items into one coherent summary with detailed references. It also remembers users’ recent queries and can adapt to users’ preferences over time.

“I believe we have reached ‘peak feed.’ Users are tired of scrolling for hours to try and find what they want. Our personal agent can do the legwork and just give you a summary of what you want to know. Imagine you could call your favorite TV station and ask them to customize this evening’s news just for you,” said Alex Fink, CEO and Founder of Otherweb. “Because Otherweb is a public benefit corporation, we are focused on information quality above all else. We are not trying to maximize your time in the app, scrolling endlessly. Instead, we give you what you want to know right away — maximum value in minimum time. This feature will make news feeds as obsolete as web directories.”

News Concierge helps users cut through the noise, clickbait, ads, and partisanship on social media platforms, which is the primary news source for 40% of Gen Z (ages 18-27) Americans, according to a recent survey commissioned by Harris Poll.

Otherweb uses 20 AI models to filter the news, with source code and datasets open to the public. This approach to news filtering offers users full transparency and no hidden biases. It effectively detects and filters misinformation, disinformation, propaganda, and plain ol’ junk, thus elevating quality journalism.

Learn more about Otherweb and its quest to deliver the news without the noise.

About Otherweb

Otherweb is operated by a public benefit corporation that improves the quality of news consumption by filtering out junk and removing sensationalism and excessive outrage. Its web- and app-based platform aggregates the latest news from hundreds of trustworthy sources, allowing users to customize their experience and control their feeds. Twenty cutting-edge AI models filter out misinformation, disinformation, propaganda and clickbait, and allow users to customize what they consume and in what order. The source code of all their models and datasets is open for public audit to provide full transparency and no hidden biases. Learn more at otherweb.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240418871379/en/