Innovation at the heart of our activity
Capitalising on all the opportunities offered by innovation to enhance our offerings to the public
France Médias Monde is developing a culture of innovation that enables it to be among the forerunners in its business activities. The Group is capitalising on all the new technologies to enhance its offerings for its global audiences.
A roadmap to govern the use of artificial intelligence (AI)
France Médias Monde sees artificial intelligence as a solution for enhancing its media offering which can support the work of its journalists (not replace it).
AI is already present at France Médias Monde: for example, the editorial teams use an automated transcription, translation and subtitling tool always under editorial control. For example, this technology makes it possible to translate and subtitle France 24 videos, then publish them on websites, applications and social networks in RFI’s foreign languages, illustrating the ability of AI to enhance our editorial offerings.
In view of the rapid technological developments surrounding AI, which is constantly evolving, France Médias Monde has developed a Group-wide roadmap with a dedicated internal organisation.
A guide to good AI practice in the editorial activities
On the editorial front, a guide to good AI practice has been drawn up by the Ethics Committee (with the management of each media outlet and journalists’ associations, in conjunction with FMM’s Committee on Honesty, Independence and Pluralism of Information and Programmes). A steering committee dedicated to AI has also been set up (comprising three coordinators responsible for leading discussions on AI applied to the Group’s business lines, in the technical, digital and editorial departments respectively, as well as representatives from each of the Group’s other departments).
Editorial innovation
France Médias Monde’s editorial teams are committed to producing in all digital formats, constantly adapting to new uses and user experiences. The Group has invested heavily in the field of mobile video including highly successful vertical formats, as well as stories, motion design, and even news sketching; as well as certain audio formats with native podcasts. Audio and video productions in binaural sound and 360° video experiments are regularly carried out by the FMM ‘Lab’. RFI and France 24 are also now available on voice assistants with an Amazon Alexa app and news briefings on Google Home.
Virtual production resources
France Médias Monde is at the cutting edge with its virtual production environments (editing tools, editorial system, media asset management) and its ability to transfer them to the cloud for remote access. This know-how has already been deployed in several editorial offices abroad, which are benefiting from these virtualisation solutions to work under the same technical conditions as the teams in Paris. With the rise of teleworking and changes in business lines, this roll-out has been accelerating for several years across all the Group’s business lines.
Technical innovation in the studios
France Médias Monde’s radio studios are gradually being equipped to also produce TV-quality videos. France 24’s TV studios are equipped with lighter equipment that is less cumbersome, less energy-intensive and robotised, while guaranteeing a better result. Technical solutions are also moving into digital environments with a number of challenges: making them faster, more efficient, less energy-consuming and less bandwidth-intensive. While these innovations benefit teams and users, they are also more respectful of the environment.