When you visit our Dispatches Europe landing page, you’ll notice a new tool on the right-hand side. This widget is powered by an algorithm that allows you to access information on our website much faster than before.
For the moment it’s a deluxe search engine. But there’s more coming. and we’ve been working on this overall concept for months, going through multiple developers until we found the right team.
This widget is the first step to incorporating artificial intelligence to help aspiring expats find the information they need faster and more accurately. And it’s actually fun to use. Next, we’ll debut Intelligent Expat, an AI-enhanced app that will allow users to organize their expat journey and connect them to government agencies and service providers. More on that as we fine-tune the app and launch.
Meanwhile, the search tool is a fast track to 10 years of content on Dispatches Europe.
Media reaches an inflection point
So, about AI.
A lot of media companies are worried about artificial intelligence. We’re not. For us, AI is just a tool. Just a hammer, so we’re using it to build something new. It’s true that AI is transformational for the media business. Already, tech websites are seeing traffic drop by 50 percent and more. Lots more as Google moves to AI summaries to keep you from moving to other websites, increasing their advertising revenue while reducing ad traffic and revenue for web publishers. And, ironically, Google will struggle to keep its virtual monopoly on ad revenue as we transition from SEO to AI optimization.
But in this case, the medium is not the message.
Strictly speaking, Dispatches Europe is not a “news site.” It’s an information portal for expats, the neediest people in the world. An information delivery service, if you would.
We know from personal experience – and pain – after moving internationally four times. Expats are changing countries. They’re looking for housing. Looking for jobs. Looking for schools. Looking for accurate visa and immigration information.
People will always want to know what they don’t know, and that’s our North Star. Information is like oxygen … we die without it.
Our initial focus is Americans leaving the United States for the Netherlands, which seems to be the No. 1 destination in Europe. With the Trump anarchy, this is our moment. But we will expand to other nationalities coming to Europe.
To be clear, we don’t use large language models to create content. Our motto is, “Creative people, authentic content.” But, when new technology comes along, your choice is to adapt, master it or die. We choose to thrive. So, give our new search widget a whirl.
Stay tuned … this is going to get interesting.
Co-CEO of Dispatches Europe. A former military reporter, I'm a serial expat who has lived in France, Turkey, Germany and the Netherlands.
