Reuters today announced that it has used artificial intelligence (AI) technology to enhance its entire video archive – nearly one million clips dating back to 1896 – supported by the Google Digital News Innovation (DNI) Fund.
This new innovation will enable users of Reuters Connect the most comprehensive digital platform powering the news, to access time-code accurate speech-to-text transcripts of historic archive videos – from the Wright brothers first flight in 1903 to significant moments of World War II—in 11 languages and with unprecedented levels of data.
It also identifies public figures highlighted in videos, which will allow users to easily navigate to those sections of the video, enabling better and faster access to pictures of some of the most historic events, speeches and moments in history.
The Reuters Video Archive dates back over a century and is a comprehensive collection of content covering some of the most momentous events in history. As part of the DNI supported archive modernisation project, Reuters focused on the analysis, data labelling and careful processing of this body of work, utilising its growing AI and machine learning capabilities to extract vast amounts of data from video, providing unparalleled information for editors, producers and researchers.
The video feature utilises Reuters Connect’s market-leading navigation and content tools to help customers discover archival assets with transcripts in English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic and Hindi, as well as automatic translations for each transcript into English.
Sue Brooks, Managing Director of Product Development & Agency Strategy, said: “By applying AI technology to more than 100 years of archive video, we can offer customers around the world a vastly enhanced experience. This innovation means users of Reuters Connect can discover the exact moments that matter in history—from Lenin to Trump, WWI to 9/11, Sarajevo to Gaza and so much more. By unlocking this data, we will deliver unparalleled value to customers for years to come.”
[Reuters PR blog post]
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joel.ivory-harte@thomsonreuters.com