BBC World Service programme Witness History is to release five video adaptations of recent episodes on YouTube, using AI tools that will animate content that is normally only heard.
The first animated episode, The World’s First Labradoodle, will drop on the BBC World Service YouTube channel on 1 March, followed by Brazil’s Biggest Bank Heist, Ramesses II’s ‘Mummy Makeover’, The Discovery of Lord Sipan in Peru, and Arrested for Playing Football in Brazil.
The videos have been produced by podcast-to-video studio 1UpMedia. The company said a human remains involved to guide the AI, that it uses multiple AI tools depending on the project, and that the tools are used under commercial licences with credit given to contributors and artists.
1UpMedia added it can deliver a first video for a podcast in around two weeks, including edits and approvals, before moving to a weekly cadence once the creative direction is established.
Fred Durman, Head of Business Development at BBC World Service, said: “This exciting project uses generative AI to give a second life to our original programming, enabling us to reach new audiences in a novel way.”
Anna Doble, Digital Editor at the BBC World Service, added: “We’re exploring using AI technology to help bring these fascinating audio stories from Witness History to life in visual form. We look forward to hearing how new audiences respond to this new approach.”
