Hotwire launches global AI innovation team, AI tool

Hotwire has unveiled a groundbreaking global AI innovation team, introducing its pioneering proprietary AI tool, GAIO.tech.

The firm said the tool delivers insight into brand reputation, influencers, and recommendations from platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity.

The platform's name, GAIO, is a testament to its strategic value. It empowers brands to harness the potential of generative artificial intelligence optimization (GAIO) to comprehend brand mentions through AI chatbots, identify key answers and sources. Hotwire's data-driven approach guides clients on which media outlets, channels, and influencers to prioritize, optimizing their brand's reach.

“We tried to take a different approach, which is to ask not what we are doing with AI, but what the target audiences are doing with AI,” said Hotwire VP of AI innovation Sven Winnefeld. “More and more consumers and B2B buyers are using generative AI to research products and information that leads to buying decisions or influences them. Theoretically, it is a different communications channel.”

The agency appointed Winnefeld to lead the AI-focused team supporting GAIO—tech. The group, which intersects with the data analytics team, will consult clients on AI strategy and communications programs and develop a suite of proprietary AI-powered solutions.

GAIO.tech is the first in a series of AI technology and consulting services that Hotwire plans to launch in the coming months to help global brands use AI as part of their marketing and communications strategies, the agency said in a statement.

Hotwire debuted the solution in beta mode for clients in late April and early May, with plans to offer demos, access to the tool, and consulting services from the launch date. The idea for the product came out of client conversations, Winnefeld said, and was built in collaboration with their input on how they’d like data presented and integrated into presentable formats.

“Our ambition is to be one of the leading agencies when it comes to generative AI,” Winnefeld said, noting that Hotwire is “heavily investing” in the area. “We are seeing that a lot of the traditional communications marketing services are changing because of AI, and we want to be at the forefront of this.”

According to PRWeek's Agency Business Report 2024, Hotwire reported a revenue decrease of 3% to $58 million globally and an increase of 6% to $33 million in the U.S. in 2023.