Founded in 1843, The Economist is one of the world’s most respected news publications and is renowned for its in-depth analysis, editorial rigour, and global outlook. The London-based magazine covers international politics, business, science, and culture, blending print, digital, podcast, and video storytelling.
As media consumption becomes increasingly multimodal and global, The Economist looked for ways to expand its reach across languages and platforms without compromising editorial quality or increasing production costs. Leading this effort is Ludwig Siegele, Senior Editor of AI Initiatives.
“My job is to work out how to use generative AI in the newsroom,” Ludwig said. “And that’s not always easy.”
But when it came to video localisation, the answer quickly became clear: HeyGen.
Expanding global reach with AI-driven video translation
The Economist produces a consistent stream of short, editorially rich videos for platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. However, these were traditionally published only in English because of the high costs and complexity involved in translating and re‑producing video content across multiple languages.
“Before translating a video, it would cost far too much money to even start putting out one or two,” Ludwig said. “The experiments themselves were simply too expensive.”
That changed when Ludwig came across HeyGen. “I first heard about HeyGen from the son of a colleague in our Berlin office,” Ludwig said. “He used it to translate training videos for his team in Eastern Europe. I saw it and thought, ‘this is amazing.’”
The team started testing HeyGen’s translation pipeline on their short-form social videos, translating the original English content into German, French, Spanish, and Mandarin. “The way we use HeyGen is straightforward,” Ludwig said. “We upload the video, it gives us an initial translation, and then we use the proofreading feature to make it perfect.”
That proofreading capability was a real game‑changer. Other platforms offered automatic translation but did not allow any editorial control. “You are at the mercy of the algorithm,” Ludwig said. “And that does not always meet our journalistic standards.” HeyGen’s ability to edit translations in-line and have them reviewed by native speakers ensured that The Economist could preserve its tone, precision, and voice.
The results were immediate. Some translated videos performed better than their English originals, gaining hundreds of thousands of views. “That was a big moment for us,” Ludwig said.
Scaling experiments and reshaping internal culture
HeyGen’s success also signalled a cultural shift inside the newsroom. “My goal is to get colleagues to actually use the technology,” Ludwig said. “Everyone has access, but it’s hard to change workflows. Tools like HeyGen make that easier because the results speak for themselves.”
One early demonstration turned out to be crucial. “The first time I saw one of our editors speaking fluent French, it was absolutely jaw-dropping,” Ludwig recalled. “The mouth movements matched perfectly, and the tone of voice was identical. It looked completely real.”
The realism of HeyGen’s translation helped The Economist’s journalists see AI not as a novelty but as a practical newsroom tool. That credibility opened the door to new forms of experimentation.
Since then, the team has started testing avatar‑based explainers, using images of historical thinkers brought to life through AI‑generated motion and narration. The project is part of a new series on liberalism that reimagines how historical concepts can be taught visually.
“The future of journalism is fluid,” Ludwig said. “You write an article, then you turn it into a video, and then into audio. The consumer chooses how to experience it.” HeyGen helped make that vision a reality without needing to overhaul The Economist’s production workflow.
Reimagining journalism with multilingual AI video
Since implementing HeyGen, The Economist has unlocked new multilingual capabilities, expanded its audience reach, and validated its investment in AI‑powered journalism.
- Video reach increased: Some translated videos received several lakh views—matching or even surpassing the performance of the original English versions.
- Localisation unlocked: For the first time, The Economist was able to experiment with multilingual video at scale. “This only became possible because the cost reduced enough to make experimentation practical,” Ludwig said.
- Editorial quality preserved: HeyGen’s proofreading feature enabled native speakers to polish translations, ensuring accuracy and upholding The Economist’s rigorous editorial standards.
Beyond metrics, the human impact has been equally meaningful. “Using HeyGen to produce professional videos is exciting,” Ludwig said. “In the end, you can say, ‘I made this.’ It gives you the power to do things you otherwise would not be able to do.”
Today, The Economist continues to build on its AI capabilities across video, translation, and editorial production. For those considering similar tools, his advice is straightforward.
“If you’re curious about HeyGen, just give it a try,” Ludwig said. “Upload a video, test the translations, experiment with the proofreading and you’ll see how powerful and accessible this technology really is.”
