Using AI for Effective Educational Videos
Introduction
The issue of missing adults and children is multifaceted, involving complex social, psychological, and logistical factors. Raising awareness and educating the public about prevention strategies is crucial in mitigating this issue. Traditional methods, such as leaflets or static websites, often fail to engage and inform effectively. This is where AI-generated videos can make a significant impact, as they offer an accessible and engaging way to produce educational content.
EUROMASC was tasked with creating content for the Module 0 in the LOST2 project (titled “Preventing and mitigating abduction”), focusing on assistance to families and prevention of missing people. This resulted in two educational videos, created with the help of one such AI platform. The first video outlines preventive measures to educate and protect children, while the second video gives valuable information to families of missing people.
This article will give an overview of this work, and hopefully inspire others to use AI to create compelling educational videos.
Creating Educational Videos with AI for LOST2
There are a variety of AI platforms that simplifies the video production process by enabling users to generate videos with lifelike avatars. These avatars can deliver scripts in a natural, human-like manner, eliminating the need for filming, editing, or hiring professional actors. By inputting a text script into the system, users can produce high-quality videos that visually communicate their message effectively.
The foundation of any educational video is a well-crafted script. For the LOST2 project, the script for the videos was created using material from the LOST1 project, in addition to guidelines produced by KidSmartz.org. It is important to write the full script, as the avatar will read it word-for-word. When writing scripts, one should also always have in mind the target audience. EUROMASC therefore used a simpler language for the video targeting children, and a more complex language for the second video.
Most of these platforms offer a variety of avatars, allowing content creators to select one that resonates best with the target audience. EUROMASC chose Ava, who is friendly, with a clear and understandable English accent. In general, it is important to think both of the message and the target audience when choosing an avatar.
Given the diverse linguistic landscape of Europe, it is useful to choose a platform with multilingual capabilities. For the videos created by EUROMASC, a PowerPoint presentation was created to fit the content we wanted to show. Then we could both place the avatar where we wanted on the screen and adapt the voice-over to the correct slide. In addition, this allowed for the correct placement of subtitling.
Advantages of Using AI for educational material
Traditional video production can be prohibitively expensive and time-consuming. AI platforms offer a cost-effective alternative by eliminating the need for actors, camera crews, and post-production editing, making it accessible for non-profits and educational projects with limited budgets.
Using an AI avatar ensures consistency in delivery, which is critical for maintaining credibility and trust. Unlike human presenters, AI avatars do not experience fatigue or variation in performance, ensuring that the educational message is uniformly delivered.
AI platforms allow for the rapid creation of multiple videos, enabling the projects such as LOST2 to address various aspects of missing people through a series of focused, topic-specific videos. This scalability ensures comprehensive coverage of the issue.
Conclusion
The integration of AI in educational initiatives holds immense potential. By employing AI platforms to create educational videos, European projects can effectively disseminate crucial information. By creating engaging and accessible videos, EUROMASC has effectively communicated critical information on the prevention of missing adults and children and provided invaluable support to affected families. The innovative use of AI avatars, combined with well-crafted scripts and visual aids, demonstrates a cost-effective, consistent, and scalable approach to education on complex social issues.
If you want to learn more about the LOST2 project, please visit our website: https://lost.team/. Our online courses will soon be available here, but if you want to see Module 0, it is already available here: https://skillscourses.eu/lost2/.
