Portland is known for its food scene, and the paper has published hundreds of stories about restaurants and chefs over the decades. [Katherine Lee, news and culture editor with the Portland Press Herald] thought there might be a way to reuse that history and present it in a fresh way to readers.
The idea started taking shape after the National Trust for Local News last year announced its News Innovation Sprint, sponsored by the Google News Initiative. Twelve journalists from the state trusts in Colorado, Georgia and Maine pitched ideas in a live virtual competition.
Lee pitched a “Restaurant Chatbot” idea and won $10,000 to operationalize her concept and create an AI-powered tool that learns cuisine preferences, location, dietary needs and occasions to deliver personalized restaurant recommendations in a fun, game-like experience. As part of her research, she looked at several similar programs at news outlets in Minnesota and California.
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