Big-name publishers are growing anxious that AI tools could steal their audiences—and their ad dollars. To fight back, they’re bringing the tech in-house, adding AI chat assistants right on their own websites. And now, they’re starting to open these chats up to ads too, teaming up with well-known ad tech players like Taboola to make it happen.
Taboola has introduced its new DeepDive AI chatbot on USA Today’s homepage, giving readers a more interactive way to explore stories. The tool features a search bar that suggests timely prompts and provides AI-generated answers alongside related USA Today articles and sponsored links. Readers can also highlight text within an article to ask follow-up questions directly through the chatbot.
According to Taboola, DeepDive allows publishers to insert “contextually relevant, high-intent ads directly into the AI-powered results page,” blending editorial content with advertising in a seamless way. The feature is currently being tested with just 1% of USA Today’s audience as Gannett evaluates its performance and user experience.
This isn’t USA Today’s first experiment with AI. Its parent company, Gannett, previously tested AI-generated sports coverage and article summaries, though some early efforts faced backlash and were later paused. With DeepDive, Gannett appears to be refining its approach—using AI not to replace journalism, but to enhance engagement and open new ad opportunities.
