Cutting-edge technology, impactful journalism, and artificial intelligence united to protect the forest.
BOTO is an innovative tool created by InfoAmazonia that delivers content about the Amazon region directly to audiences on WhatsApp, using artificial intelligence (AI) to make access to reliable, contextualized, and personalized information easier.
This WhatsApp bot combines journalism, innovation, and technology to offer an informative experience tailored to each user, promoting awareness and engagement with the challenges facing the Amazon.
InfoAmazonia’s WhatsApp bot combines journalism, innovation, and technology to offer an informative experience tailored to each user, promoting awareness and engagement with the challenges facing the Amazon.
Knowledge about the Amazon can—and should—be within everyone’s reach! With BOTO, you can stay informed, understand, share, and take action—all from your phone.
What is BOTO?
BOTO is a WhatsApp bot that uses Large Language Models (LLMs) to deliver news, explanations, and relevant information about the Amazon. With a friendly and accessible interface, the project was designed to broaden the reach of content produced by InfoAmazonia and local partners, especially among audiences that use WhatsApp as their main means of digital communication.
In many parts of the Amazon region, especially remote areas of the Amazon, WhatsApp is more than just a messaging app—it has become the main channel for accessing information, community communication, and even social mobilization. For populations facing limited digital infrastructure, unstable connectivity, and scarce access to traditional media, being present on WhatsApp means being present in their daily lives.
By operating directly on this platform, BOTO acknowledges and values these realities, bringing environmental journalism closer to users’ needs through accessible language designed for mobile devices.
With BOTO, audiences can:
- Receive geolocated news and updates on social and environmental issues in the Amazon.
- Personalize content delivery by frequency, format, and topics of interest.
- Access simplified explanations of complex concepts and summaries of reports.
- Suggest stories and topics that are meaningful and valuable for them.
Why was BOTO created?
The Amazon faces urgent challenges, including deforestation, environmental degradation, and the widespread of disinformation. At the same time, many communities in the region rely on WhatsApp as their primary communication channel, creating a unique opportunity for direct and ongoing engagement.
BOTO was developed to reduce barriers to accessing information, promote knowledge democratization on the region, strengthen local journalism, and empower citizens, communicators, activists, and educators. Particularly, this WhatsApp bot is designed to engage with Indigenous peoples, ribeirinho (riverine) populations, quilombolas, and other local communities.
The project’s vision goes beyond simply delivering content. BOTO acts as a bridge between emerging technologies and Amazonian communities, exploring ethical and responsible uses of AI in journalism, with a focus on accessibility, local relevance, and social impact.
BOTO as an Information Ecosystem
BOTO is not just a content distribution tool—it is an information ecosystem that connects journalism, technology, and civic participation. It brings together multiple sources of information in a collaborative exchange network with diverse audiences, from journalists and local organizations to researchers, educators, and communities. By working in this format, BOTO supports the circulation of reliable, relevant information, strengthens local journalism, and encourages the creation of trustworthy narratives about the Amazon.
In addition, BOTO is an experiment in using cutting-edge technologies, designed to explore, in practice, how they can ethically, inclusively, and sustainably engage with local realities—helping content reach more people, wherever they are.
Project Stages
BOTO has been developed in three phases, with ongoing testing and improvements based on feedback from real audiences:
- 2023: Prototype development under the LEAP program (ICFJ), with initial testing and validation of user experience.
- 2024: Project expansion with interface improvements and LLM integration. Launch of focus group testing in different Amazonian states to understand audience information needs and preferences, particularly among Indigenous peoples, ribeirinho (riverine) populations, quilombolas (Afro-Brazilian maroon people), and other local communities.
- 2025/2026: Further expansion with new features, such as automated responses to FAQs, audience-driven story suggestions, and integration of additional trusted regional news outlets—transforming BOTO into a hub for Amazon-related content.
Community Participation
BOTO follows a human-centered design approach, with a strong emphasis on collaborative audience engagement and prototyping. At each stage of the project, users are invited to share suggestions, provide feedback, and help refine the tool.
Additionally, the project seeks to build partnerships with local media outlets, social organizations, educators, and communication collectives to broaden the bot’s reach and relevance, with content co-created and adapted to the diverse contexts of the Amazon region.
If you run a news outlet covering Amazonian socio-environmental issues and would like to join BOTO, email us at contato@infoamazonia.org.