Center for News, Technology & Innovation

Overview

When the Center for News, Technology & Innovation (CNTI) partnered with Unrelated Studio and MG Strategy + Design, the goal was clear: build a digital platform that reflects CNTI’s leadership in media research and innovation. Their work spans complex policy topics, original research, and deep analysis — but their previous website made it difficult for audiences to find and engage with that content effectively.

The solution is a redesigned WordPress site that strengthens CNTI’s brand, modernizes its digital experience, and introduces a new AI-powered content chat system that helps users explore research and insights through natural language.

A Digital Experience for a Complex Mission

CNTI’s research portfolio includes reports, primers, and evidence-based insights covering topics like newsroom sustainability, misinformation, and technology policy. To match this depth with usability, we:

• Reimagined the information architecture so users can intuitively discover content across themes without getting lost.
• Created flexible editorial tools using Gutenberg that allow CNTI’s team to publish and evolve content independently.
• Optimized performance and accessibility so research is fast, readable, and inclusive on any device.

The redesigned site gives CNTI a stable, scalable home for its work — and positions it to grow into new audiences and future features.

Introducing AI-Powered Exploration: Amplify AI Chat

A major innovation of the new build is AI-assisted content discovery. Rather than a generic chatbot, we developed a contextual AI chat system embedded in the CNTI site.
The AI system:

• Indexes all published content — including posts, pages, and custom layouts — so responses are grounded in CNTI’s research corpus.
• Allows editors to configure responses and provider settings from the WordPress backend.
• Returns clear, human-friendly answers with citations, linking directly to the sources that informed them.
• Includes guardrails to avoid off-topic or inaccurate responses.

This makes the AI chat a trusted bridge between users and CNTI’s research — helping journalists, policymakers, academics, and other audiences quickly surface relevant insights without manually browsing dozens of pages.
The system launched in beta with careful controls to ensure accuracy and relevancy, and continues to evolve based on user feedback and editorial goals.

AI That Works for People — Not Just Tech

CNTI’s AI chat isn’t an add-on; it’s part of their content ecosystem. Instead of directing users to outside search tools or forcing them to parse long lists of publications, AI empowers:

• Exploration by topic or question, not just by navigation labels
• Deeper engagement with research context, not isolated summaries
• Faster access to relevant reporting and analysis without needing to know the site structure

Given CNTI’s role at the intersection of journalism and technology, this feature helps them stand out by connecting audience curiosity with research output in a way that feels human and responsive.

Built for Editorial Flexibility & Growth

To support CNTI’s team:

• We provided custom Gutenberg blocks that make creating rich, media-inclusive layouts easy and consistent.
• We structured meta and taxonomy systems so content can be grouped and surfaced in meaningful, audience-centric ways.
• We implemented best-in-class performance optimizations — including responsive images, caching, and minimal script loads — so the site stays fast even with dense research content.

Every editorial pattern and layout is built with accessibility in mind, ensuring compliance with WCAG 2.1 AA standards.

A Platform for the Future

From a robust editorial foundation to an AI-powered knowledge assistant, the new CNTI site represents a leap in how think tanks and research institutions can present digital content.

It balances ease of use with technical innovation, giving CNTI the tools they need to inform audiences — now and as their work evolves.