BBC launches AI-powered Polish news site to expand global reach

BBC World Service Launches AI-Driven Polish Website

The BBC World Service has introduced a pilot website, BBC News Polska, that employs AI translation to deliver global news stories in Polish. This marks the first time the BBC has integrated AI translation in a systematic way to reach new audiences efficiently while maintaining journalistic standards.

Small Team, Big Impact

A dedicated team of four native Polish speakers, recruited from reputable news organizations like Reuters and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, leads the adaptation and curation of BBC content. Their role is to ensure that the AI-translated material is accurate, relevant, and culturally appropriate.

BBC News Polska balances AI-translated global content with bespoke journalism, including blogs from presenter Kasia Madera and meteorologist Tomasz Schafernaker, alongside video content distributed on platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

AI Translation: Text Only, With Transparency

AI is used strictly for text translation. The BBC employs technology from the European Broadcasting Union, which incorporates OpenAI's Whisper speech recognition and DeepL translation tools. Importantly, every piece of AI-translated content is reviewed and approved by journalists before publication, maintaining editorial oversight.

Transparency is key: all AI-translated articles clearly indicate the use of AI to readers. This approach aligns with the BBC’s AI principles, emphasizing the fit with its public service mission and openness about technology use.

Systematic Integration into Workflow

Unlike previous ad-hoc AI translation experiments at BBC Mundo, BBC News Brasil, and BBC News Afrique, BBC News Polska integrates AI into its content management system (CMS). This allows journalists to efficiently translate or adapt stories and add region-specific data, experts, or visuals.

The integration is designed to evolve alongside translation technology improvements, ensuring the workflow remains streamlined as AI capabilities advance.

Supporting Global and Local Relevance

The goal is to deliver news that resonates locally while covering global subjects such as the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza or developments in China. This balance is essential to maintain trust—an essential value for the BBC—and make the news feel relevant to Polish audiences.

Looking Ahead

The pilot is set to run for 12 months, with ambitions to extend this model to two or three additional languages. Funding remains a challenge, especially following recent cuts at the BBC World Service, but the pilot operates within existing budgets.

This initiative demonstrates a practical approach for media organizations looking to scale multilingual content efficiently without compromising on quality or transparency.

Further Learning

• Explore AI translation and automation tools to enhance content workflows: Automation AI Courses
• Learn how to implement AI tools in content management systems: AI Tool Databases