Introducing the AI Article of the Future
A Frontiers Prototype to Rethink the News Experience with AI
Imagine a more personalized reading experience that provides a 60-second summary for the sprinter, an engaging audio narrative for the stroller, or an interactive chat for the studier. It's now possible with generative AI.
Personalize with AI
Hear it, break it down, or ask — get more from this article, your way.
What if reading the news wasn't a one-size-fits-all experience? What if every article dynamically adapted to your time, interests, and preferences—like a museum that allows you to enjoy the exhibits at your own pace?
This concept of adaptive content isn't new—The New York Times' product team called it "designing for behavior" years ago. They used the analogy of a museum designed for the sprinter, the stroller and the studier: As they described it, “The sprinter will just fly through the museum, the stroller will putter around, and the studier will read every little thing next to every piece of art.” Just as museum visitors engage differently with exhibits, news readers have distinct consumption patterns:
- The Sprinter: Seeks quick, impactful summaries.
- The Stroller: Enjoys moderately paced, engaging content experiences.
- The Studier: Wants in-depth, thorough content exploration.
At Frontiers, we’re using generative AI to explore how to bring this framework to life.
Enter ART—the AI Article of the Future: a prototype that lets readers experience news their way. The same article can provide a 60-second summary for the sprinter, an engaging audio narrative for the stroller, or an interactive chat grounded in the source material for the studier.
Why ART? Insights from the Frontiers Team
Across my career designing products for CNN, The Times of London, Reuters, and news startups, one constant has been the rigidity of the article as a format. With the Article of the Future, we’re exploring how AI can dissolve that rigidity—unlocking a new grammar for news that is responsive, conversational, and multimodal. It’s not just a better UX; it’s a chance to reimagine how journalism lives in people’s lives. - Matt Brown, Frontiers Creative Lead
We built "The AI Revolution in Newsrooms: 3 paths to the future" as a testing ground. Same content, multiple ways to experience it. Three core modalities: listening, personalisation, and conversation.
The technical foundation uses Gemini Flash for lighter tasks like summaries, and Gemini Pro for deeper conversational elements. We wrapped everything in Mastra AI and the Vercel AI SDK to make model swapping simple. This lets us optimise for speed and cost without rebuilding the experience. - Thomas Brasington, Frontiers Tech Lead
Why Now?
Driven by shifts in consumer behavior and enabled by generative AI, the time is ripe for reinvention. As leading analysts note, audiences increasingly prefer to listen and watch, not just read. They expect content that’s summarized, searchable, and speakable. And they want control over how they consume it.
From Hearst to Ippen Digital, publishers are challenging the limits of the 1,000-word article. Microsoft’s CEO even "listens" to podcasts by uploading transcripts to Copilot and chatting with it. As one European newsroom put it, “The article is dying—not because people don’t want information, but because they want it their way.”
Our evolving prototype answers that call.
The Prototype Features
For this initial phase, we’re showcasing three core capabilities—each powered by generative AI:
- AI Audio: Listen to an AI-narrated version of the article or a conversational podcast-style summary.
- AI Personalization: Summarize the article into Concise and Key Themes versions to match your reading style and time.
- AI Chat: Ask questions and explore article content through an intelligent chatbot—via text or audio conversation.
And we’re just getting started. Future implementations center around:
- Inline explainers for background context
- AI-generated infographics and timelines
- Video articles and reporter Q&As transformed into interactive formats
The Vision
This isn’t about replacing journalism—it’s about expanding its reach and relevance. By adapting the article format to user behavior and device capabilities, we aim to:
- Make news more accessible, especially via audio, video and personalization
- Boost engagement and time-on-page with interactive features
- Open up new monetization pathways through premium experiences
What’s Next
This is a proof of concept—and an invitation.
We’re looking to collaborate with news organizations, audio partners, and innovation teams interested in piloting these experiences and shaping the next chapter of digital storytelling.
More
- AI and Deepfakes
As AI continues to reshape media at warp speed in 2025, I’m excited to bring you the first in a series of AI and Media Radar Reports from Frontiers, our newly launched AI Product Studio.
- The AI Revolution in Newsrooms
Two years ago Open AI’s ChatGPT made its "What can I help with?" debut, sparking a whirlwind of reactions across the media industry.
- Introducing Frontiers
In today's “ground is shaking” technology landscape, the media industry faces a paradoxical choice.
Return to articles