Why did Texty decide to focus on this project?
Since Texty is an “old-style, slow media” outlet, the organisation wanted to find new ways to share its articles and projects. The goal of this project was to incorporate AI-generated audio into Texty’s website in order to share its work with a new audience.
How did applying design-thinking principles help?
Texty had three dimensions in mind: Clone the voice of their journalist and add a voice widget to articles on its website, make sure all Ukrainian language nuances and stresses would be voiced through the AI, and establish a new channel of dissemination through AI-voiced articles and podcasts.
Did your approach change engagement with your audience in any way?
Texty received positive feedback from its audience regarding the audition of audio files. When Texty’s automatic voice widget was not working for a couple of weeks, readers reached out to ask why it was down. This feedback showed the Texty team that this new implementation was valuable to its audience.
What challenges did Texty encounter and how did it address them?
One challenge developed when the AI tool was automatically producing audio files for articles two or three times, instead of just once, driving up the cost of the tool. The team had to have about a month’s worth of conversation and consultation with the tool’s support in order to get the AI system working properly again.
How was Texty’s project received by its audience?
The feedback Texty received was “absolutely positive” from both its audience and its team. When the team first got the results of the voice clone of Pavlenko, their initial reaction was “Wow, it’s quite good.” There are not many AI tools on the market that work well with the Ukrainian language, so the team was surprised.
What insights or lessons did Texty gain from this project?
One lesson the team learned was to be more precise. After establishing a vision and designing an idea, steps need to be constructed precisely for the result to meet the expectation.
What does Texty plan on doing next?
The team wants to test different ways of publishing podcasts on Spotify and Apple Podcasts using the AI tool.
What advice would Texty give to other journalists or organisations considering a similar path?
In a small newsroom, the entire staff should be aware of a project idea so everyone can provide recommendations, input, and questions.
