The BBC World Service program Witness History is releasing five AI-animated video adaptations of recent episodes.
Witness History is carried on BBC World Service English and is available as a podcast.
The initiative kicks off with The World’s First Labradoodle, available on the BBC World Service YouTube channel, to be followed by animated versions of Brazil’s Biggest Bank Heist, Ramesses II’s ‘Mummy Makeover’, The Discovery of Lord Sipan in Peru, and Arrested for Playing Football in Brazil.
Fred Durman, head of business development for BBC World Service, noted, “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.”
Guang Jin Yeo, animator at 1UpMedia, added: “By thoughtfully adapting these Witness History stories into video, we have produced an animation to accompany the audio that doesn’t compromise the depth and care that defines the programme. Using generative AI allows us to unlock the extraordinary BBC World Service archive of narrative audio for visual audiences who may never have encountered it before.”
