AI-animated videos strengthen BBC World Service content strategy
The BBC World Service is using generative AI to adapt Witness History audio episodes into animated videos, expanding digital reach while maintaining editorial oversight.
AI is increasingly being tested in media production as organisations adapt to changing digital consumption patterns. Generative AI tools are being used to repurpose archival material, experiment with new formats, and expand distribution across online platforms.
In this context, the BBC World Service has launched its first AI-animated video adaptations. The initiative transforms audio episodes of Witness History into short animated films, marking a new application of generative AI within the World Service’s programming.
Five episodes are scheduled for release, starting with The World’s First Labradoodle on the BBC World Service’s YouTube channel. Further adaptations cover Brazil’s largest bank heist, the restoration of Ramesses II’s mummy, the discovery of Lord Sipán in Peru, and an arrest related to football in Brazil.
The project aims to extend the reach of existing audio content and attract digital audiences who may not engage with radio. Editorial oversight remains in place, with AI positioned as a production support tool rather than a replacement for journalistic processes.
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