Smartocto expands feature capabilities with AI

Several of smartocto’s features are being enhanced with generative AI-driven functionalities. This allows clients to automatically analyse which user needs are found in stories, tag these stories and receive headline suggestions within the A/B testing tool.

“We are now combining data analytics, audience needs and artificial intelligence within the editorial toolkit,” says smartocto’s CEO Erik van Heeswijk. “It’s exciting to see that these functionalities are integrated where they make the most sense and can be used effectively.”

Clients who use Smartocto Insights to create historical data reports can now more easily filter by user needs-definitions from the User Needs Model 2.0. If the newsroom doesn’t categorise articles, smartocto.ai can, for a fee, automatically assign tags to articles. This allows for clear visualisation of where a newsroom’s strengths lie, especially when looking at it in a quadrant.

Suggesting alternative headlines

It has now been a year since the launch of smartocto.ai, which initially provided features such as smart paragraph rewriting and generating alternative headline suggestions. Previously, users had to manually copy and paste these suggestions into the A/B-test.

This functionality has now been integrated into the A/B testing tool, Tentacles. The fields where you would normally input alternative headlines yourself can now be automatically populated by smartocto.ai. Important to know: the suggestions are fueled by the company’s own strategy. This means that the tool takes into account the newsroom’s objectives.

To reinforce the sense of human control, smartocto has ensured that editors must always make a selection from the suggestions they receive. This is part of the ethical guidelines that serve as the company’s guiding principles around artificial intelligence.

“What’s crucial is that editors remain in control. These are suggestions based on the company’s own strategy; the decision-making and execution remain in human hands”, Van Heeswijk says.

Important information for clients

• The headline suggestions are only possible for clients who have smartocto.ai. Please contact your client success manager to discuss prices.
• The user needs filtering is available by default for all users of the historical part of our tool, Smartocto Insights. Automated tagging of user needs is an additional service. Ask your client success manager to set up a project to make that happen.