An almost entirely AI-created science communication video showcasing the BirdTracker App developed by Dagmara Pasiak.
About the BirdTracker App
Where, when, and how do birds fly?
These are questions that bird behaviour researchers deal with every day.
In a student project at ETH Zurich, Dagmara Pasiak created an interactive web map to visualise bird tracking data in 3D. I had the great pleasure to supervise this fascinating project, together with Elham Nourani at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior.
Like mentioned in the video, we are currently working on the follow-up project (check it out on GitHub!). Or explore the current version of the BirdTracker app!
Video Creation with AI
Except for footage of the application and one map, the video was created almost entirely with AI — from scripting to audio and visuals. I created a pipeline using ChatGPT/Mistral, Midjourney, Runway, Suno, AIVA, ElevenLabs, and Adobe Premiere.
If you are curious about the details, check out my Medium post titled How to Create a Science Communication Video for Desk Potatoes.
The post covers:
🔵 The detailed pipeline of AI tools I used
🔵 Tips and tricks to get the most out of these tools
🔵 A critical look at whether this workflow is practical and ethical for creating science communication videos during everyday doctoral life
🔵 The detailed pipeline of AI tools I used
🔵 Tips and tricks to get the most out of these tools
🔵 A critical look at whether this workflow is practical and ethical for creating science communication videos during everyday doctoral life
About Science Communication with AI
Talking about my research or about what we teach our students is not always easy. Even more so, when a complex topic is to be explained to non-academics.
With the advent of generative AI, I wanted to explore what is possible today (I created the video between April and June 2025). So that I could judge on my own whether it is practical and ethical to use for science communication. And I wanted to see, how people will react to it. (My 92-years old grandma's: "Where will this all lead to?!")
Thanks
This project grew out of a science communication course by Mirko Bischofberger. Thank you, Mirko, for giving me a head start and for your support until the very end!
