Osnabrück – – September 15, 2026 -- German regional publisher NOZ/mh:n-Gruppe has rolled out an AI-powered election assistant and a series of 17 live-streamed candidate debates to inform voters ahead of Lower Saxony's municipal elections on September 13.
AI bot draws exclusively on newsroom-verified candidate data
The noz-Wahl-Bot, built on the publisher's in-house AI system frag noz, is embedded directly into election coverage on noz.de and the noz News app. It answers voter queries using only NOZ's own editorial reporting and standardized questionnaires completed by the majority of local candidates. An automated LLM-as-a-Judge review process checks each response to prevent hallucinations or fabricated content, according to Senior AI Product Manager David Pinzauti.
Livestreamed debates average 230 hours of viewing time, peak above 1,000 hours
Beyond the digital tool, NOZ has organized 17 podium discussions featuring direct candidates for mayoral and district administrator races, all streamed in high resolution on noz.de. Benjamin Beutler, team leader of the Content Unit Photo/Video, said the streams generate roughly 230 hours of average media time per event, with peak engagement exceeding 1,000 hours.
Reader survey, not party platforms, sets campaign coverage agenda
NOZ's editorial teams are profiling candidates from all constituencies both online and in local print editions, basing campaign topic selection on a reader survey identifying the most pressing local concerns rather than party-driven messaging. Editor-in-Chief Louisa Riepe said the goal is to combine a tailored AI application with in-person dialogue to create transparency around complex issues.
Schleswig-Holstein publisher tracks project for 2027 state election playbook
NOZ/mh:n has used AI in its newsrooms for eighteen months, aiming to free reporters for tasks AI cannot perform, including organizing in-person candidate encounters. Editorial staff at Schleswig-Holsteinischer Zeitungsverlag (shz) are closely monitoring the initiative to extract technical blueprints ahead of that region's 2027 state elections.