Penquin Kids AI Book Collaboration brings original stories and hope to South African children

Penquin Uses AI to Bring Children’s Stories to Life This World Literacy Day

Penquin, a well-known brand and communication agency, has launched an exciting initiative called the Penquin Kids AI Book Collaboration. Revealed in honour of World Literacy Day, this project uses generative artificial intelligence to create original children’s books aimed at tackling South Africa’s literacy challenges.

This initiative goes beyond creativity—it’s a real commitment to community upliftment. Through the Penquin Kids sub-brand, the agency will print and distribute these books to children and parents via socio-economic development organisations. This effort is part of a broader corporate social investment strategy focused on education and well-being.

“Penquin Kids represents our long-term commitment to children’s education, creativity, and well-being,” says Ryan Nofal, co-managing director at Penquin. “Launching it with such a meaningful project feels right. We’re showing that agencies like ours can use our skills, tools, and passion to uplift communities in practical ways.”

A Bold Experiment in Creative Collaboration

The Penquin Kids AI Book Collaboration brought together staff from all departments—copywriters, creatives, account executives, finance clerks, and human resources—to co-create a series of original children’s books. Internally, the project was designed to build confidence and literacy around AI. Externally, it demonstrated how AI can enhance creativity without replacing human imagination.

This project also celebrates Penquin’s 25th birthday and highlights the agency’s core values: Bold, Creative, Purposeful, Innovative, and Accountable.

“Ten teams. Ten original children’s books. One bold experiment in AI-powered storytelling. That’s the essence of this project,” explains Veronica Moleele, CEO at Penquin. “We wanted to explore how AI could be a tool for creativity, not a replacement and, at the same time, use that creativity to make a real difference in children’s lives.”

The "Human-in-the-Loop" Process

The process blended technology with human expertise to ensure quality and authenticity. Each of the ten teams was assigned a Penquin value to inspire their story. The workflow included:

• Conceptualisation: Teams developed story ideas and narrative arcs.
• AI Integration: ChatGPT was used to help with storytelling prompts and character development, turning initial concepts into engaging scripts.
• Visuals and Audio: DALL·E generated vibrant illustrations, while ElevenLabs created optional audio versions, making stories accessible to more children.
• Human Refinement: Crucially, Penquin staff reviewed and edited all AI outputs to prevent IP issues and ensure at least 30% human refinement. This step guaranteed cultural authenticity, humour, and narratives that resonate with South African readers.

Launching a Brand with Purpose

The Penquin Kids brand was created as a playful yet professional identity for all child-focused projects at the agency. This AI book initiative serves as its launchpad, positioning Penquin Kids as a centre for children’s education, creativity, and well-being.

The winning book, Captain Chaos, came from Team Accountable, which included sales operations manager Wesley Lewis, video production and AI intern Gabriel Mullens, head of traffic Theresa Burger, and graphic designer Unathi Mashiya. The story follows Bontle Nkosi, a bold Grade 4 learner, who learns that leadership is about responsibility, owning mistakes, and supporting others—not being the loudest.

Second and third place books also showed strong creativity and imagination across teams.

Captain Chaos brings Penquin’s core value of accountability to life with local flavour, humour, and heart. Crafted through the unique human-AI collaboration, it demonstrates how storytelling and technology can inspire the next generation.

Penquin plans to print and distribute Captain Chaos to communities in need and is seeking sponsorships to expand its reach and impact.

“This is my favourite kind of project, where creativity, innovation, and purpose collide,” shares Mandy Davis, co-managing director at Penquin. “We’re not just using AI for novelty’s sake. We’re creating real tools that support parents, teachers, and kids, while also building confidence and teamwork within our agency.”

This initiative is a strong example of using AI responsibly and creatively, setting a new standard for corporate social responsibility in the creative industry.