Axel Springer has launced a new service called Hey_, which will provide BILD readers with AI-supported article formats that are interactive and tailored to individual user needs. The AI assistant, specially developed and trained by Axel Springer on the basis of a combination of different GPT models, is a completely new way for users to experience journalistic topics interactively and individually with the help of artificial intelligence.
In addition, Hey_ offers open access to the entire information base of ChatGPT and, in the future, to further AI models. It is intended to make BILD a trusted point of contact for AI applications for a broad user community, and will initially focus on topics such as nutrition, finance and travel, but also on entertaining elements such as a personal bedtime story for children or quizzes. The topics will be gradually expanded by the editorial team.
Hey_ creates an environment in which journalism complements artificial intelligence and delivers answers in dialogue format to match the respective topic. Users can enter completely individual free text and receive tailored answers on the desired topic. As a result, this content is not static, but provides a dynamic, personalised experience for the reader. The platform proactively guides users through the conversation, asking questions, checking and suggesting AI-powered answers. This allows the reader to develop individual answers quickly and easily.
Mathias Döpfner, CEO of Axel Springer, said: “Our goal is to make artificial intelligence accessible and useful for everyone. In a first step, BILD will offer Hey_, a very popular large language application, without any entry hurdle. If this test is successful, we will introduce this mechanism and what develops from it to our entire portfolio. AI for everyone – that also means for all Axel Springer brands.”
“The technological platform for Hey_ was developed by Axel Springer’s Business Innovation team, which accompanies the launch, testing and successive development at BILD. The technical and editorial development work for Hey_ included conception, development, programming, design and implementation. Through prompt engineering, the editors gave the AI basic characteristics and provided it with detailed briefings on relevant topics. There are plans to use the AI tool for other Axel Springer brands in the future.”
Monetisation can take place through advertising and sponsoring in the article environment as well as through integration into the BILDplus offering. You can view the announcement in full here.