In an era where Generative AI-powered search engines are transforming how users access information, publishers face a new existential challenge. Many AI engines scrape content without permission or compensation, diminishing web traffic and revenue for publishers. In response, Taboola has launched DeeperDive, a first-of-its-kind AI answer engine designed to live directly on publisher websites, offering a competitive, ethical, and scalable alternative that respects and leverages original journalism.
By transforming how audiences discover and engage with content, DeeperDive brings AI-powered discovery experiences to publisher-owned platforms — restoring control, driving engagement, and creating high-intent monetization opportunities.
1. A Strategic Response to Generative AI Scraping
- DeeperDive counters AI engines that scrape publisher content without attribution or traffic return.
- Offers publishers a way to own the user experience while benefiting from AI-powered search interfaces.
- Preserves content ownership while respecting original journalism and editorial voices.
2. How DeeperDive Works
- Integrates seamlessly into publisher websites.
- Allows readers to ask questions and receive instant, AI-generated answers using real-time, trusted publisher content.
- Enhances discovery by surfacing related articles and deeper context from the same site—unlike many Gen AI engines that offer simplistic responses.
3. Publisher Adoption and Industry Support
- Launch partners include major global publishers:
- Gannett | USA TODAY Network (first U.S. rollout partner)
- The Independent (including its new Bulletin product)
- Publisher leadership applauds the initiative for enhancing reader engagement, increasing time on site, and unlocking monetization.
4. Richer, Context-Aware Reader Experience
- Uses insights from 600 million daily active users across Taboola’s network of 9,000 publisher partners.
- Tracks real-time engagement trends to deliver timely, nuanced, and human-like answers.
- Prompts questions and suggestions based on current content consumption and global interests.
5. Business Value and Monetization
- DeeperDive introduces search-like advertising monetization on publisher platforms.
- Enables contextual, high-intent ads to appear directly within AI-generated answers.
- Converts user queries into meaningful commercial moments, such as travel bookings, financial decisions, or retail purchases.
- Supports a shift from click-based models (e.g., $0.50 CPC) to conversion-focused outcomes (e.g., $500 per high-value action).
6. Future Potential with AI Agents and High-Intent Categories
- DeeperDive is designed for future integration with AI agents in verticals like:
- Travel
- Finance
- Sports
- Commerce
- Empowers publishers to capture decision-making moments within their own environment rather than losing them to external AI search tools.
7. Ethical Innovation and Industry Leadership
- Taboola CEO Adam Singolda emphasizes the need for fair compensation and ethical use of publisher content in the AI era.
- DeeperDive aims to create a more balanced ecosystem where AI innovation respects and rewards the creators that power the open web.
- Encourages unity among publishers to take back control of how their content is used and monetized.
Taboola’s launch of DeeperDive marks a major milestone for the open web. As publishers confront the dual challenge of maintaining editorial integrity and competing with powerful AI tools, DeeperDive offers a strategic, tech-forward, and revenue-generating solution. By combining the familiar interface of Gen AI search with the authenticity of trusted journalism, it ensures that publishers remain at the heart of the content discovery journey.
This innovation reaffirms that the future of AI and content doesn’t need to be a zero-sum game. With platforms like DeeperDive, the industry can move toward a future where AI powers discovery, but publishers keep the control, the value, and the voice.
