PhilSTAR Life launches 'Life in 5,' a podcast of the day's top stories
Logging into apps like Facebook and TikTok, users are greeted with numerous posts about the different news stories of the day—and there are a lot to keep up with.
For the busy bees always on the move, PhilSTAR L!fe has created "Life in 5," a podcast that gives you a rundown of the day’s top stories, whether it’s the latest happenings in the news, the hottest fashion trends, and most intriguing celebrity announcements.
This way, you're served a super chill, quick download of what’s buzzing on L!fe and get your Facts Now, Feelings Later in five minutes or less.
Life in 5 was birthed during the Google News Initiative (GNI) Workshop, where L!fe’s editors learned about harnessing the power of AI to develop a podcast.
In producing the show, the team uses Google’s NotebookLM to get a summary of the top five stories of the day. This is then taken to Gemini, where AI is used to create a five-minute script. Each step in the process is reviewed by an editor to ensure accuracy.
Once the script passes the editor’s keen eye, our team goes to ElevenLabs, a platform that uses AI to produce audio. L!fe created its own voice on the platform and uses it to narrate the script. The generated voice is then tweaked accordingly to ensure it pronounces names more properly.
After the script is voiced, a multimedia producer will tie everything together to create the podcast you’ll hear on Spotify and other streaming platforms.
Using AI in creating the podcast streamlines the whole process. Instead of taking over two hours to write and edit a script and have a voice-over talent read it, L!fe can create the podcast in under an hour.
"I was deeply impressed with the level of care and thoughtfulness that the PhilSTAR L!fe team invested in this podcast," AI consultant Shaun Davies, who headed the GNI Workshop, said. "They thought deeply about the technical and ethical implications of using AI in a creative task."
"When I first heard the test version of the podcast, it was clear that their hard work had paid off. It was professional, engaging, and an easy listen."
With that, L!fe can give its readers a five-minute rundown of the top stories of the day in a flash.
Catch the episodes daily on PhilSTAR L!fe's Spotify.
