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AI and Generative Search: The Next Leap for Digital Libraries

Digitization was only the first leap for libraries. The next frontier is AI and generative search — transforming static digital collections into living, intelligent archives. Instead of sifting through endless results, users can now experience contextual discovery, summarization, translation, and intuitive pathways that make knowledge more accessible than ever.

At Ninestars, we know this future is only possible with strong foundations. Having digitized over 20 national libraries worldwide, we combine scale with precision — from OCR and metadata enrichment to AI-driven workflows that unify global standards. For us, digitization and AI are not just about preservation, but participation — bringing cultural heritage to life for researchers, students, and readers everywhere.

The journey of knowledge preservation has always mirrored the evolution of technology. Stone tablets gave way to manuscripts. Manuscripts were replaced by the printing press. And now, in the digital age, information in libraries and archives are no longer limited by walls or shelves. The knowledge is accessible and searchable from wherever you are.

Digitization was the first leap. Millions of books, manuscripts, newspapers, documents, and photographs were scanned and stored in digital formats, ensuring their survival for future generations. But vast digital repositories alone are not enough if users cannot easily find or interact with them. This is where AI in digital libraries becomes the natural next step.

From Digitization to Intelligence

For decades, researchers relied on keyword-based search to navigate collections. It worked, but often failed to capture nuance. A query like “climate change as reported in newspapers before 1988” could return thousands of results, not all of them relevant.

With AI-driven digital archives, the experience changes completely. AI models understand context, semantics, and intent. Instead of matching words, they return answers. They summarize, highlight connections across decades, and even suggest related themes.

How AI is Transforming Digital Libraries

AI in digital libraries adds context, speed, and intelligence. Instead of static repositories, archives become dynamic, exploratory ecosystems.

  • Smart Search and Discovery: AI understands meaning, not just words. A researcher looking for “climate change coverage in 1970s newspapers” can find relevant articles even if the sources use different phrasing.
  • Contextual Understanding: OCR made text searchable, but AI can analyze themes, relationships, and sentiment over time.
  • Automated Metadata Enrichment: AI extracts names, places, and dates automatically, improving discoverability.
  • Language Accessibility: A 1910 French newspaper can be instantly translated for an English reader.
  • Personalized Research: AI guides users differently—a historian studying migration and a student learning about World War I will each get tailored paths through the same archive.

Generative Search: A Leap Beyond

If AI powers intelligence, generative search brings it to life. Unlike traditional search that lists documents, it creates synthesized answers.

Imagine asking:
“What was public sentiment about railways in 19th century Europe?”

Instead of making the user comb through hundreds of documents, AI-driven digital archives can summarize perspectives across sources and present a coherent narrative. Knowledge becomes conversational, not static.

The Next Step After Digitization

Digitization laid the foundation. Clean scans, OCR, article segmentation, and metadata enrichment make the application of AI feasible. Ninestars has deep expertise in these building blocks, perfected while working with leading institutions like the National Library of Australia and the Royal Danish Library. Large-scale programs, processing over 11 million pages in Australia and 32 million in Denmark, prove that scale and accuracy go hand in hand.

Once digitized, the libraries can prepare the collections for AI in digital libraries. Poor-quality scans or inconsistent metadata can limit the application of AI, which is why digitization and intelligence must go together.

How Ninestars Helps Libraries To Integrate AI Pre or Post Digitization

At Ninestars, we see digitization and AI as inseparable. Our Intelligent Automation Platform (IAP) already uses AI for OCR, metadata tagging, and automated quality checks. We are also building solutions that make archives AI-ready, including:

  • AI-enhanced OCR and content structuring
  • Metadata enrichment powered by machine learning
  • Cloud-native workflows ready for integration with generative search tools
  • Future-ready archives designed to adopt evolving technologies

For libraries and archives worldwide, the opportunity is clear: digitize today, and prepare for an AI-powered tomorrow.

What Generative AI Means for Users

For students, it means a shortcut to discovery—clear, contextual summaries instead of endless lists. For historians, it surfaces forgotten voices in millions of pages. For casual readers, it creates intuitive pathways through culture and history.

This is the true promise of AI in digital libraries: turning preserved knowledge into active discovery.

Challenges Along the Way

AI is not magic. Damaged documents, faded text, or unusual typefaces can complicate results. High-quality digitization remains critical. Another challenge is trust. Researchers need assurance that AI isn’t “hallucinating.” The best AI-driven digital archives always link back to original sources, ensuring transparency.

The Road Ahead

Generative AI is still in its early stages for libraries, but the potential is enormous. Imagine querying, “What were the public health measures during cholera outbreaks in the 19th century?” Instead of a list of documents, the system delivers a synthesized narrative with citations. Or asking, “How did jazz spread through Europe in the 1920s?” and instantly seeing a cultural timeline.

This is not science fiction—it is already beginning.

From Preservation to Possibility

Digital libraries began as preservation projects. They are now evolving into intelligent systems that not only safeguard knowledge but amplify it. AI in digital libraries and AI-driven digital archives are not replacing researchers or librarians; they are empowering them.

At Ninestars, we believe this is the natural next step after digitization. Libraries and archives that embrace AI today will define how future generations interact with history, culture, and knowledge. It’s time to act on integrating AI into library services and reassert the role libraries have historically played in building future-ready knowledge economies.

From Noise to Knowledge: How to Create Actionable Summaries from Long-Form Broadcast Content

In October 1947, the first televised U.S. presidential address reached millions of Americans in their living rooms, a feat that once seemed impossible. Cut to May 2025, streaming services in the US achieved a historic milestone by surpassing cable and broadcast television combined in total TV viewership (source: Nielsen report). It marks a significant shift in how audiences not just in the US, but around the world, consume video content. Today, a podcast episode can command more attention than a primetime news slot. And yet, in this content-saturated era, the problem isn’t access, it’s actionability. How do you extract meaning from the mass? More importantly, how do you transform that meaning into momentum?

For professionals in media monitoring, digital intelligence, or content transformation, this isn’t a rhetorical question—it’s a daily operational challenge. Whether you’re capturing executive keynotes, dissecting multi-hour webinars, or decoding panel discussions, one truth remains: most of the gold lies buried under hours of passive content. It’s not enough to transcribe. To drive real value, we need actionable summaries. These are not mere recaps. They are insight engines. They bridge the chasm between content and consequence.

So how do you move from spoken sprawl to structured significance? Let’s walk through the architecture of a truly actionable summary—one that doesn’t just distill, but directs.

Start with Strategic Intent: Know Why You’re Summarizing

Before diving into content, pause. This is where most teams go wrong—they jump straight into transcription or highlight-collection without asking the foundational question: Why are we summarizing this in the first place?
Every summary has an audience and a purpose. A senior executive scanning a Monday morning brief wants decisions and direction—not a blow-by-blow of who said what. A content strategist, by contrast, might be looking for reusable ideas, quotable sound bites, or narrative themes. A team lead could need a recap to align stakeholders or guide action. Each use case demands a different distillation lens.

Ask:
• Who is this summary for?
• What should the reader do with it?

Intent determines everything—from tone and structure to what you keep in and what you leave out. A public-facing summary might emphasize shareability and brand tone, while an internal one zeroes in on next steps, blockers, and outcomes. Without strategic intent, even the most accurate summary risks becoming noise.

Transcribe and Clean: Get to Usable Text, Not Just Text

Transcription is where it starts, not where it ends.

Tools like Descript, Otter.ai, Whisper, or Zoom’s built-in transcription features can get you the raw material. For domain-specific use cases—legal, pharma, AI—you might benefit from fine-tuned automatic speech recognition models. But regardless of the tool, raw transcripts are messy.

Your job is to clean them, not just read them. Remove filler words, false starts, and repetition. Strip out “umm,” “you know,” and mid-sentence corrections. Off-topic tangents? Gone. This isn’t censorship; it’s curation.

Highlight the essentials:
• Speaker names and roles
• Repeated keywords or themes
• Timestamps for high-value moments

Think of this step like cleaning raw data before analysis. You’re not interpreting yet—you’re simply preparing the ground.

Impose Structure: Segment Conversations into Idea Buckets

Long-form audio and video rarely follow a linear script. Speakers jump back and forth, circle around the same points, or interrupt each other. Your job is to restructure the chaos.

Avoid segmenting purely by timestamp. Instead, group by intent and theme:

• Problem framing
• Context or backstory
• Key insight or revelation
• Strategic decision
• Proposed solution
• Data or evidence
• Audience reactions or questions

This isn’t just an editorial exercise—it’s a cognitive map. Use color codes, tags, or markup to cluster these thematic zones. It’ll not only help with clarity, but also allow AI-assisted tools to better identify insight-rich zones in the future.

Mine the Gold: Extract and Discriminate Ruthlessly

Now comes the heavy lifting: insight extraction.

You’re not summarizing everything—you’re pulling out what matters. That includes:

• Data-backed insights
• Emerging patterns across speakers
• Strategic shifts or pivots
• Points of tension or conflict
• Memorable, quotable lines

But here’s the trap: not every “interesting” comment is actually useful. Run everything through a ruthless “So what?” filter.

Ask:
• Does this drive the narrative forward?
• Does it inform a decision, signal intent, or clarify direction?
• Is it share-worthy, actionable, or strategically relevant?

This is where domain knowledge becomes indispensable. Summarizing a legal panel? You need to understand regulatory nuance. Parsing a B2B AI discussion? Know what constitutes hype versus genuine signal. Without subject-matter understanding, even AI-generated summaries fall flat.

Synthesize, Don’t Just Summarize: Drive Toward Action

A great summary doesn’t merely replay what was said—it connects dots and charts next steps.

Instead of:
“Speaker A noted that email open rates are declining.”
Say:
“Speaker A reported a 40% YoY decline in email open rates, prompting a recommendation to reassess outbound channel strategy.”

Use language that implies action:
• “What this means is…”
• “The implication here is…”
• “Next steps should include…”

Highlight decisions, shifts in direction, and calls to action. Link insights to broader themes. Show how what was said translates into what needs to happen. This step is where summaries shift from passive archives to dynamic planning tools.

Design for the End User: Choose the Right Summary Format

The same content can and should look different depending on its audience.

Executive Brief

For internal use. Straight to the point.
• Title + Duration
• 3–5 line summary
• Bullet insights
• Action items
• Optional: timestamps or speakers

Narrative Blog Summary

For public-facing thought leadership

• Contextual hook
• Narrative arc (problem → insight → shift)
• Embedded quotes
• Key takeaways
• CTA or reflection

Social Carousel / LinkedIn Thread

For amplification
• One big idea per slide/post
• Supporting quote/stat
• Link to full content

Don’t force a one-size-fits-all. Build modular summaries that can be easily repurposed across formats. This increases both utility and reach.

Bring in the Bots—But Keep Humans in the Loop

AI can assist. But it can’t own your summary workflow.

Use tools to:
• Suggest summary structure
• Identify recurring themes
• Auto-generate highlight quotes
• Recommend formats

But always review and refine. AI doesn’t understand nuance, irony, or subtext the way a human editor does. Especially in high-stakes domains—finance, health, policy—you need human judgment to ensure accuracy, clarity, and relevance.

The ideal setup is human-in-the-loop: machines accelerate, humans refine.

Beyond the Summary: Seed a Repurposing Ecosystem

The biggest ROI of a well-crafted summary? Its reusability. Once structured, summaries can be:
• Snippets for internal newsletters
• Input for knowledge bases
• SEO blog material
• Slides for sales decks
• Talking points for execs
• Onboarding guides for new hires

A good summary isn’t an endpoint—it’s a starting point. Build a system where content can scale into multiple assets with minimal friction. This is how organizations stop wasting long-form content and start turning it into competitive advantage.

In Closing: You’re Not Just Summarizing. You’re Building Strategic Intelligence.

Summarizing long-form broadcast content isn’t clerical. It’s editorial. It’s strategic. Done well, it transforms passive conversations into active direction. You’re not shrinking content but sharpening its focus.

When this process is systematised, long-form content stops being a burden. It becomes a goldmine—fuelling decisions, informing content strategy, and giving teams the clarity to move forward.

In a world awash with noise, those who can extract signal, and turn it into action, will always have the edge.

Checklist: What to Look for in a Modern Artwork Automation Platform

In regulated industries, the label is your last line of defense—and your first impression.
Legacy tools can’t keep up with today’s compliance, speed, and scale demands. This checklist walks you through what truly defines a modern, intelligent artwork automation platform—from AI-powered proofing and regulatory enforcement to scalable global collaboration.
If you’re in pharma, CPG, or medical devices, this is the guide you can’t afford to skip.

In regulated industries such as pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and consumer packaged goods (CPG), packaging is not just design—it’s a critical function tied to safety, compliance, and reputation. One wrong label can result in recalls, regulatory action, or worse, patient harm. As global compliance demands and product portfolios grow more complex, legacy processes fall short. The need for automation is no longer a nice-to-have efficiency measure; it’s a competitive necessity.

This checklist breaks down what defines a modern, AI-powered artwork automation platform for packaging and labelling—and how to evaluate one that fits the rigorous needs of regulated markets that you operate in.

  1. Intelligent Proofing and Error Detection

Why it matters: Human oversight alone is no match for the volume and precision needed in regulated artwork production. Typos, colour mismatches, dieline errors, or outdated regulatory copy can sneak through even in high-functioning teams. The result? Costly recalls, compliance violations, and reputational damage.

What to look for:

  • AI-driven content comparison: Can the platform automatically compare the approved source file to the final artwork using OCR and image recognition? It should highlight text changes, font mismatches, and layout shifts.
  • Colour and dyeline validation: It must detect technical errors—wrong Pantone codes, placement deviations, or faulty barcodes.
  • Automated compliance flagging: The system should proactively catch potential compliance violations based on pre-set rules or regulatory templates.

Takeaway: Choose a platform that acts like a second set of eyes—faster, more accurate, and tireless.

  1. End-to-End Collaboration in a Unified Workspace

Why it matters: Labelling and artwork development involves multiple stakeholders – regulatory, marketing, legal, quality, packaging vendors. When teams rely on fragmented tools, email threads, or shared drives, version chaos is inevitable.

What to look for:

  • Role-based workflows: Ensure the platform allows tailored workflows for regulatory teams, marketers, legal reviewers, etc., with permissions and responsibilities clearly defined.
  • Real-time collaboration: Look for tools that support live annotations, comment threads, and simultaneous review—across geographies.
  • Audit trails and version history: Every change must be traceable, timestamped, and reversible. This is critical for both accountability and audit-readiness.

Takeaway: The platform should centralize all activities, eliminate confusion, and increase velocity without compromising control. A modern collaborative artwork review tool should bring structure and clarity across your labelling lifecycle.

  1. Built-In Regulatory Intelligence

Why it matters: In pharma and related industries, packaging isn’t just marketing – it’s a regulated deliverable. Labels vary by country, language, product strength, and therapeutic area. A modern artwork automation platform must be compliance-first, not design-first.

What to look for:

  • Country-specific rulesets: Can it support country-wise compliance logic and adapt to local regulatory updates?
  • Validation gates: Before a label is finalized, the system should run automated checks based on current compliance templates.
  • Audit-readiness: It must be easy to generate evidence of approval timelines, stakeholder inputs, and validations.

Takeaway: Choose a platform that doesn’t just facilitate compliance – it enforces it. Look for AI in regulatory packaging that delivers automated decision-making built on global requirements.

  1. Seamless Integration With Your Existing Stack

Why it matters: Most enterprises already have PLMs, ERPs, DAMs, and regulatory systems in place. An artwork platform must integrate rather than disrupt, ensuring seamless data flow across your digital supply chain.

What to look for:

  • APIs and connectors: Ensure compatibility with your existing systems—SAP, Oracle, Veeva, or custom tools.
  • Single source of truth: The platform should ingest approved data (like regulatory texts, product info, images) from master sources and apply it contextually.
  • Cloud-native infrastructure: For remote collaboration, scalability, and global deployment, cloud-based platforms offer resilience and flexibility.

Takeaway: A modern platform must fit into your digital ecosystem—not require a complete overhaul. Look for packaging compliance software that complements your infrastructure.

  1. Built to Scale Across Global Teams

Why it matters: As portfolios expand and teams operate across time zones, the system must work as well for a single product update in Germany as it does for a product launch spanning 15 markets.

What to look for:

  • Multi-language support: From Arabic to Mandarin, the platform must handle diverse scripts, right-to-left formatting, and local legal text.
  • Template reusability: Can components be reused or modified for different SKUs, geographies, or strengths—without starting from scratch?
  • Performance at scale: It must support thousands of SKUs and artworks without slowing down or failing.

Takeaway: Don’t just plan for today’s needs. Choose a platform that scales as your business expands—and supports comprehensive label lifecycle management.

PACKX Checks Every Box — and Then Some

Many platforms claim automation, but few deliver compliance-driven intelligence at scale. PACKX is purpose-built for industries where precision and regulation are non-negotiable, such as life sciences, CPG, and medical devices, PACKX offers:

  • AI-powered proofing and auto-validation
  • Compliance-led templates and workflows
  • Region-specific logic and approval routing
  • Seamless team collaboration with full traceability
  • Scalable infrastructure for enterprise-grade deployment
  • Integration-ready APIs to connect with your PLM, ERP, and regulatory stack

Whether you’re facing recurring artwork delays, regulatory pressure, or costly errors—PACKX brings clarity, speed, and trust to every label. It’s more than a tool; it’s a complete pharmaceutical label automation solution designed for the future.

Don’t Just Automate—Elevate Your Entire Labelling Ecosystem

In regulated industries, the label is your last line of defense—and your first consumer impression. A simple packaging error can trigger costly recalls, regulatory sanctions, or worse, risk patient safety.

A modern artwork automation platform isn’t just about digitizing steps or saving time. It’s about creating a connected, intelligent, and compliant labelling ecosystem that keeps pace with market complexity and regulatory change.

Ask yourself: Is your current platform protecting you—or exposing you?

Use this checklist to evaluate where you stand. Then, choose a platform partner who doesn’t just promise automation but delivers resilience, accuracy, and scale—like PACKX, the leading solution in Pharma artwork management and medical device labelling platforms.

Why OCR Accuracy Matters: The Cost of Mistakes

In the fast-paced digital world, where data is the backbone of decision-making, businesses increasingly rely on Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology to process and extract information from vast amounts of documents. OCR is considered one of the key enablers of digital transformation, enabling organizations to convert physical documents into accessible digital data.

However, not all OCR solutions are created equal. While basic OCR systems can help read and extract text from scanned documents, their accuracy can vary widely. The OCR accuracy impacts the overall quality of extracted data ans processes that depend on it, and ultimately the business’s bottom line.

Inaccurate OCR = Business Risk

Inaccurate document processing leads to errors in data, causing operational disruptions, increased costs, and damage to a company’s reputation. OCR accuracy matters, and here’s why the cost of mistakes can be significant:

  1. Financial Implications of OCR Errors

For many businesses, OCR errors aren’t just an inconvenience—they can translate into direct financial losses. Most organizations rely on automation platforms that include OCR as a foundational component to process financial documents, invoices, and contracts. However, if the OCR component is inaccurate, it can create cascading errors throughout the automated workflow.

Invoice Errors: Consider a scenario where a finance team uses an Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) system to process invoices. If the OCR layer misreads an invoice total, payment terms, or vendor information, the company could accidentally overpay or underpay. Worse still, missing key fields like taxes or early payment discounts can delay processing and impact cash flow.

Contract Misinterpretation: In legal workflows, OCR is often responsible for the first step—digitizing and extracting key terms. If inaccuracies occur here, they can carry through contract review tools or compliance checks, leading to flawed interpretations, legal exposure, or missed deadlines.

Operational Costs: Poor OCR accuracy increases the need for manual review and correction downstream. Even in sophisticated IDP workflows, time and resources must be diverted to catch and fix mistakes. This reduces productivity and weakens the ROI on automation initiatives.

  1. Customer Experience at Risk

The accuracy of OCR within automation workflows directly impacts how customers experience your services. An error introduced by OCR early in the document lifecycle can ripple into customer-facing processes—leading to delays, incorrect communication, or billing issues.

Invoice and Billing Issues: Customers receiving invoices generated from inaccurate OCR outputs may find incorrect totals, missing details, or wrong references. While the system may automate document generation, the quality of that automation depends heavily on the OCR’s ability to extract data correctly in the first place.

Delayed Service or Errors in Orders: In industries like retail or logistics, OCR powers the initial intake of forms, order sheets, or shipment requests. If the OCR component misinterprets these documents, it can lead to downstream automation triggering incorrect actions—like sending the wrong items, scheduling delays, or duplicating orders.

A flawed OCR layer in your automation stack may be invisible to customers, but its effects certainly aren’t. Inaccuracies erode trust, delay service, and ultimately harm customer retention.

  1. Legal and Compliance Risks

In highly regulated industries such as finance, healthcare, and legal services, accuracy in document automation isn’t optional—it’s a matter of compliance. OCR plays a foundational role in these workflows, powering data extraction for systems that manage tax records, patient files, and contracts. If OCR introduces errors early in the automation pipeline, the consequences can be legally and financially severe.

Healthcare Compliance: In healthcare, OCR is used within automation platforms to extract patient data from forms, insurance documents, and medical records. Any error at the OCR stage can lead to incorrect or incomplete data flowing into electronic health record (EHR) systems. This could trigger HIPAA violations, impact patient care, or erode trust.

Financial Reporting: In the financial sector, OCR is often the first step in processing documents like tax returns, compliance filings, and audit reports. An inaccurate OCR output can corrupt downstream data analytics and reporting tools—leading to compliance breaches, audit flags, or regulatory penalties. In high-stakes environments, even a single field misread can cause substantial risk.

  1. Reduced Efficiency and Increased Error Propagation

OCR technology streamlines operations by reducing manual data entry. But when OCR accuracy is poor, it does the opposite—creating bottlenecks and increasing the likelihood of error propagation throughout your automated systems.

Manual Interventions: When an OCR engine misinterprets content, teams often have to manually verify and correct outputs within the broader automation flow. This manual intervention defeats the purpose of deploying automation in the first place and slows down processing times, reducing overall ROI.

Cascading Errors in Integrated Systems: Inaccurate OCR doesn’t just cause isolated issues—it affects every downstream system that relies on its output. For example, if OCR misreads a figure in an invoice, that faulty data could influence accounting entries, tax computations, and audit readiness. The more deeply integrated your systems are, the more widespread the impact of a single OCR error becomes.

  1. The Importance of Choosing an Accurate OCR Solution

To avoid the aforementioned risks, it’s crucial to choose an OCR solution that provides high levels of accuracy. While standard OCR technology can help with basic text recognition, it’s often limited in its capabilities to handle complex documents or ambiguous data. It’s vital to look for an OCR system that incorporates advanced AI and machine learning capabilities, like AOTM OCR, that can:

  • Adapt to Complex Documents: Recognize text in multi-page documents, complex layouts, and even handwritten notes.
  • Understand Context: Provide deeper contextual understanding to accurately extract and categorize data.
  • Automatically Correct Errors: Use AI to detect and correct errors in real-time, improving overall accuracy.
  • Process Multiple Languages: Offer multi-language support to extract data from documents in different languages with high precision.

By implementing an advanced OCR solution with AI-powered capabilities, businesses can ensure that their document processing is as accurate, efficient, and error-free as possible.

The Cost of Mistakes vs. The Value of Accuracy

OCR mistakes may seem minor at first, but their ripple effects can impact a business in many ways: from financial losses and customer dissatisfaction to legal liabilities and operational inefficiencies.

In today’s business environment, where data is gold, OCR is a critical component of automation and digital transformation. But the true value of OCR technology isn’t just in its ability to extract text—it’s in how accurately it does so. Choosing the right OCR system, like AOTM OCR, ensures that businesses extract, process, and utilize data with maximum precision, minimal errors, and greater efficiency.

Digital Preservation Challenges: Why METS and ALTO Are Essential for Large-Scale Archival Projects

Imagine discovering a centuries-old manuscript, brittle and broken at the edges. Now imagine being tasked to digitize and add it to your library’s collection—not just as a scanned image but as a fully searchable and preserved digital asset. That’s the kind of challenge libraries and archives worldwide face as they move from print to pixels.

These digital preservation initiatives are sometimes large scale, running into several years because it isn’t simply scanning. Without proper structuring, metadata, and text encoding, digital collections risk becoming unsearchable, unusable, or even obsolete. That’s where METS (Metadata Encoding & Transmission Standard) and ALTO (Analyzed Layout and Text Object) come in.

The Scale of the Challenge: Libraries as Data Giants
Major libraries and archives house millions—sometimes hundreds of millions—of items, with ongoing digitization efforts processing thousands of pages daily. Large-scale projects require more than high-resolution scans—they need interoperability, structured metadata, and full-text accuracy for users to meaningfully engage with the content.

Here’s the problem:

  • A simple image-based digital archive lacks context. A TIFF scan of a rare book is just a picture unless it’s properly indexed.
  • Poor OCR (Optical Character Recognition) results mean users can’t search the text accurately—especially in historical or non-Latin scripts.
  • If metadata isn’t standardized, collections become data silos, limiting interoperability across institutions.

METS: Bringing Structure to Digital Archives

METS is like a blueprint for digital objects. Instead of just storing a document, METS binds together multiple components—images, OCR text, metadata, and structural relationships—ensuring that a digitized book or newspaper is more than just a stack of files.

Why METS Matters:
Structural Mapping – Defines the order of pages, chapters, or multi-volume works.
Preservation Metadata – Ensures long-term digital viability by tracking technical details and provenance.
Interoperability – Enables seamless exchange across repositories (Europeana, HathiTrust, DPLA, ProQuest, JSTOR).

Think of METS as a librarian’s guide for the digital world—a way to organize and ensure long-term usability of complex digitized collections.

Why ALTO is the Unsung Hero of Searchability

OCR alone isn’t enough. Standard OCR might extract text, but it loses layout details—crucial for newspapers, tables, and manuscripts. ALTO fixes that.

What ALTO Does Differently:

  • Retains Text Layout – Captures columns, footnotes, and even marginalia, making digitized newspapers or periodicals look like their physical counterparts.
  • Improves Search Accuracy – Maps text positions to original layouts, reducing OCR errors.
  • Supports Multilingual & Historical Texts – Handles complex scripts, Fraktur fonts, and even handwritten materials.

Example: As the Exclusive Partner for ProQuest’s Historical Newspapers Program (HNP) since 2001, we have digitized iconic publications like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and many more. Using METS/ALTO, we have structured 28 million pages across 55 newspaper titles—some dating back to 1764—ensuring that every article, photograph, and advertisement is fully searchable and meticulously preserved. Our solutions not only safeguard history but also create revenue opportunities through content distribution and digital accessibility across tablets, smartphones, and emerging platforms.

Fun Fact: Digital Archives Are at Risk—Even Digital Ones!

Did you know that NASA lost the original high-resolution recordings of the 1969 moon landing? The tapes were overwritten due to poor archival practices. Digital doesn’t always mean permanent—without proper structuring (like METS/ALTO), even digital archives can disappear over time.

Future-Proofing Archives with METS & ALTO

In an era where digital libraries are growing exponentially, METS and ALTO are non-negotiable. They make sure that today’s digitization efforts remain accessible and meaningful for decades—even centuries—to come.

For libraries, archives, and cultural institutions, the choice is clear: Digitize, but do it right.

Ninestars: Bringing Structure to Digital Archives

At Ninestars, we go beyond digitization—we ensure archives are structured, searchable, and future-proof. Our solutions include AOTM OCR, indexing, and metadata enrichment to enhance content discoverability.

With METS, ALTO, MARC, and Dublin Core-compliant workflows, we’ve digitized 1.2 billion pages to date, making vast collections accessible across libraries, enterprises, and institutions. Our expertise spans subject- and keyword-based indexing, AI-powered OCR for handwritten texts, and contextual OCR in 71 languages for unmatched accuracy.

From national archives to rare manuscripts, we help organizations preserve history while unlocking new revenue and digital opportunities. Let’s talk.

Ninestars Joins Pharma Packaging & Labelling Forum 2025 to Showcase AI Artwork Automation

We’re thrilled to announce that Ninestars will be participating for the first time in the Pharma Packaging & Labelling Forum 2025, taking place on May 27-28 at the Mövenpick Hotel Basel, Switzerland. Our Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) Mohan Doshi and Senior Vice President (SVP) of Creative Excellence, Life Sciences Chandra Shekar Gopal will be there to engage with industry peers, share valuable insights, and showcase how our cutting-edge AI platform is transforming packaging artwork processes.

Join us at Booth 21 to experience AOTM PACKX—our intelligent, AI-powered platform that automates packaging artwork creation, review, and regulatory compliance checks. Designed to accelerate product launches, reduce design costs, and ensure compliance, AOTM PACKX empowers pharmaceutical companies to move faster, scale efficiently, and minimize costly rework across global markets.

Why AOTM PACKX?

  • Accelerate product launches: Automate and streamline the entire artwork lifecycle to significantly shorten timelines.
  • Reduce design costs: Cut down manual errors and resource use for more efficient operations.
  • Stay compliant: Benefit from built-in regulatory checks and a GxP-ready framework that aligns to global standards.
  • Support global scale: Seamlessly manage multilingual proofing and digital comparisons for packaging needs worldwide.

With over 26 years of expertise in digital transformation, Ninestars combines deep industry knowledge with advanced AI technology. Our outcome-driven SaaS platform is built to help life sciences companies deliver faster, smarter, and more reliable packaging artwork.

We look forward to connecting with innovators and leaders shaping the future of pharmaceutical packaging.

Visit us at Booth 21 for live demos, meet our leadership team, and discover how AOTM PACKX can revolutionize your packaging and labelling operations.

Learn more about AOTM PACKX ahead of the event at https://aotm.ai/aotm-packx.

What We Learned at WAN2025: AI and the Future of Newsrooms

The World News Media Congress 2025 (WNMC25) in Kraków has officially concluded, leaving behind a wealth of insights that continue to shape how we view the intersection of journalism and technology. As proud sponsors of the event, Ninestars had the opportunity to engage with the brightest minds in media and technology, gaining invaluable perspectives that are driving the future of news.

The Congress highlighted a new wave of media transformation, driven by technological innovation, AI integration, and a renewed focus on providing real value to audiences. These advances are not just improving the quality and efficiency of news production but are also setting the stage for a media landscape where personalization, audience engagement, and ethical AI take centre stage.

AI and the Transformation of Newsrooms

A big theme of WNMC25 was the integration of AI in journalism, an undeniable trend that has moved beyond speculation and into action. AI is no longer a buzzword or a distant possibility; it is being embedded in the day-to-day operations of newsrooms worldwide. From editorial workflows to content creation, AI is playing an increasingly pivotal role in how stories are told and consumed.

One of the most profound insights from the Congress was the increasing reliance on Generative AI. Speakers shared real-world examples of how this technology is already streamlining content creation, improving productivity, and expanding audience reach. AI tools are now integral in supporting editorial decisions, from helping journalists gather data to automating repetitive tasks. The focus is clear: AI must be implemented in a way that enhances editorial workflows and maintains the values of trust and accuracy, which are the bedrock of quality journalism.

At Ninestars, we’re proud to align with this vision. Our AOTM Intelligent Automation Platform is designed to empower newsrooms with the speed and precision they need to process vast volumes of content. With AOTM OCR (Optical Character Recognition) and AOTM ICP (Intelligent Content Processing), we’re helping newsrooms handle information faster and more accurately, which ultimately allows them to focus on what matters: producing high-quality journalism.

AI’s Role in Personalized Journalism

Personalization is no longer just a luxury for newsrooms; it’s a necessity. As AI continues to evolve, it provides new opportunities to tailor content to the specific preferences and behaviours of individual readers. During the congress, the idea of audience-centric strategies was discussed in depth. News organizations are increasingly leveraging AI to deliver personalized experiences that engage readers at a deeper level. This means not just creating content that is relevant, but making sure it resonates at a personal level.

For example, AI-driven personalization is allowing publishers to adjust the content they provide based on data, whether it’s user behaviour, geographic location, or even social trends. Short-form content is also becoming more influential in reaching younger audiences, especially Gen Z, who demand quick, digestible news that fits into their daily lives.

Ninestars is fully committed to empowering publishers with these AI-driven personalization strategies. Our solutions help streamline content processing, automate repetitive tasks, and deliver deep insights that make it easier to engage audiences in meaningful ways.

Ethics, Trust, and the Future of Journalism

The conversations at WNMC25 weren’t just about technology; they also focused on the broader ethical implications of AI in journalism. As AI becomes more ingrained in newsrooms, ensuring that it supports the values of trust, transparency, and editorial independence is crucial. The term Authentic Intelligence emerged as a key theme, emphasizing the need for AI to be used responsibly in ways that bolster the integrity of journalism rather than undermine it.

Industry leaders like Ingrid Verschuren from Dow Jones and Tom Rubin from OpenAI highlighted the importance of grounding AI in strong ethical frameworks. They stressed that AI should empower journalists, not replace them, and that AI systems should be transparent, accountable, and aligned with the values of responsible journalism. These conversations were important in reminding us that as AI becomes more advanced, we must be vigilant in maintaining the trust of our audience.

At Ninestars, we are committed to developing AI solutions that respect these ethical considerations. Our platform is designed to automate and streamline processes while upholding the principles that make journalism a trusted source of information and perspectives. From responsible data usage to transparency in AI decision-making, we ensure that our technology supports the greater good of the industry.

Looking Ahead: A Smarter, More Efficient Future

As WNMC25 wrapped up, the focus was clear: The future of journalism will be defined by AI, but it’s how we use it that will determine its impact. AI is not just about efficiency; it’s about improving quality, enhancing the audience experience, and enabling news organizations to focus on what they do best: telling great stories.

As Ninestars continues to work alongside media companies, we are proud to be part of this transformation. We are actively building solutions that not only help publishers streamline their workflows but also foster stronger connections with their readers. The future of media is bright, and with AI as an enabler, newsrooms can rise to the challenge of staying relevant in an increasingly digital world.

The World News Media Congress 2025 was a powerful reminder of the importance of AI in shaping the future of journalism. From enhancing editorial workflows to creating personalized experiences, AI is helping newsrooms embrace the future while staying true to their core values. As the event concluded, it was clear that the momentum toward AI-driven innovation in media is only going to grow stronger.

We’re excited to continue our journey with the media industry, working hand-in-hand with publishers to build a smarter, more efficient future for journalism. Thank you to everyone who shared their insights and helped shape these important conversations. The journey has just begun, and at Ninestars, we are ready to continue making an impact.

TL;DR

Key Insights from WNMC 2025

  • Generative AI is revolutionizing content creation, enabling newsrooms to streamline processes, boost productivity, and improve engagement.
  • Personalized journalism is now a strategic necessity, with AI allowing publishers to create tailored content that resonates with individual audiences.
  • Ethical AI remains a focal point, with leaders emphasizing the need for AI to enhance, rather than replace, journalistic integrity and trust.
  • AI is already transforming newsrooms by enhancing editorial workflows and content creation.

Discover how Ninestars is helping newsrooms thrive in the digital age: Explore here

Ninestars at the World News Media Congress 2025: Shaping the Future of Journalism with AI-Powered Innovation

We are excited to announce that Ninestars Information Technologies Pvt. Ltd. will be participating in the World News Media Congress 2025, happening in Krakow, Poland from May 4-6, 2025! This premier event brings together the brightest minds from across the global media industry to explore new strategies, innovations, and solutions in journalism. As we prepare to showcase our AI-driven solutions at the Congress, we look forward to demonstrating how Ninestars is revolutionizing the future of newsrooms.

Why Ninestars is Here

The media landscape is evolving rapidly, and Ninestars is at the forefront of this transformation. With over 26 years of expertise in the media and publishing sector, we have always been committed to empowering organizations with intelligent, scalable, and future-proof solutions. At the World News Media Congress 2025, we aim to highlight how our AI-powered platforms and R&D capabilities are helping newsrooms stay ahead of the curve.

What We’re Showcasing

At our booth, we will showcase a comprehensive range of AI-driven solutions designed to address the unique challenges of modern journalism. Our offerings include:

AOTM OCR: Advanced AI-powered optical character recognition for transforming printed media into actionable data.

AOTM GPT: A generative AI engine tailored specifically for newsrooms, helping to accelerate content creation while maintaining editorial integrity.

AOTM ICP: Our Intelligent Content Processing platform that intelligently ingests, indexes, and processes diverse content types.

Archive Transformation and Monetization: Turning valuable archives into dynamic assets that drive contemporary storytelling and revenue generation.

Hyper-Personalized News: AI-powered personalization engines to tailor content and advertisements based on reader behavior.

Additionally, we will demonstrate our R&D capabilities, including advancements in Editorial AI Models, DSLMs, LLMs (Large Language Models), and Multimodal AI, as well as Computer Vision for media content analysis and enhancement.

What to Expect at the Congress

The World News Media Congress will feature three dynamic summits, deep-dive sessions into future media trends, and an exhibition space where industry leaders will share insights on technology and innovation. With social events and networking opportunities, it’s a perfect setting to engage with fellow professionals in the media and publishing world.

Ninestars is proud to be part of this exciting event, and we are eager to share how our AI-driven solutions can help news organizations optimize their workflows, create better content, and unlock new business opportunities.

Connect with Us

We invite you to visit our booth and engage with our experts as we demonstrate our latest solutions. Let’s discuss how we can help your newsroom stay ahead with AI-powered innovation.

We are excited to connect with industry leaders, journalists, and innovators in Krakow and contribute to the ongoing evolution of media.

Stay tuned for more updates as we approach the World News Media Congress 2025. We look forward to seeing you there!

Explore how we can help you. Learn more here:
https://wan2025.ninestarsglobal.com

The Future of News: How Technology Will Define the Next Chapter for Publishers

As we prepare to join the conversation at World News Media Congress 2025 at Krakow next week, we dove deep into two reports setting the agenda for global publishing — Innovation in News Media World Report 2024–2025 by Innovation Media Consulting Group and WAN-IFRA’s own World Press Trends Outlook 2024–2025.

While these reports capture industry-wide shifts, we examined them through a sharper lens—the accelerating role of technology and AI in defining the next era of journalism. 

Here’s our technology-first take on what it means and where publishers must go next.

The Industry Shift: Print Is Shrinking, Trust Still Matters 

Global newspaper circulation has halved over the past decade. Ad revenue continues migrating to digital giants. Yet one constant remains: audiences still crave credible, local, in-depth journalism — they’re simply consuming it differently. 

As platforms like Grok, DeepSeek, and a growing roster of AI disruptors reshape information ecosystems, publishers must ask:
If the audience has changed, why haven’t we? 

Strategy 1: From Print Products to Platform Ecosystems 

Leading publishers are moving from newspaper-as-product to news-as-a-service. They are building interconnected ecosystems—responsive websites, audio integration, video explainers, newsletters, podcasts—all feeding into personalized user journeys. 

Case in point: The South China Morning Post revamped itself into a subscription-first digital platform, achieving a 32% YoY growth in digital subscriptions in early 2025. 

At the heart of this evolution? Data, personalization, and multi-format storytelling. 

Strategy 2: Intelligent Archiving: Unlocking New Revenue Streams 

Newsrooms sit on decades, sometimes centuries, of invaluable content. AI-led digitization is transforming archives into dynamic, monetizable assets.

We see publishers adopting: 

  • OCR, NLP, and AI tagging to make archives searchable and accessible 
  • New subscription products for researchers, schools, and history enthusiasts 
  • Repurposed archival content for documentaries, timelines, and “On This Day” features 

Insight: Digitized archives boosted SEO traffic by 15–20% between 2020–2024, and this is just the beginning. 

Strategy 3: AI for Newsroom Efficiency and Personalization 

AI is no longer theoretical — it’s practical, operational, and indispensable.
Smart newsrooms in 2025 are deploying AI for: 

  • Automated tagging and summarization to accelerate publishing 
  • Predictive analytics to deliver more relevant, engaging stories 
  • AI-assisted live reporting for financial results, elections, and sports 
  • Multilingual content generation to expand global reach 

In a landscape dominated by rapid news cycles and AI aggregators, intelligent automation isn’t a luxury — it’s survival. 

Strategy 4: Going Hyperlocal and Winning 

While global news is increasingly commoditized, trust and proximity are premium currencies.

Savvy publishers are: 

  • Launching hyperlocal editions for districts, cities, and even neighbourhoods 
  • Partnering with libraries and NGOs to syndicate trusted content 
  • Building exclusive investigative verticals with subscription access 

Trend to watch: In several markets, local news subscriptions are now outpacing national ones. 

Strategy 5: New Monetization Models: Beyond Ads 

The ad-supported model is losing steam but reader-supported journalism is accelerating. 

Publishers are exploring: 

  • Metered paywalls balanced with sampling strategies 
  • Micro-payments for one-off article access 
  • Reader memberships with value-adds like exclusive newsletters, Q&As, and events 
  • Strategic bundling with OTT, e-learning, or other services 

Key lesson: In 2025, trustworthy content is a premium experience and audiences are willing to pay for it. 

Strategy 6: Talent and Infrastructure for a Digital-First Future 

Tech adoption alone isn’t enough.
Publishers must invest in people and platforms simultaneously. 

This means: 

  • Upskilling journalists in multimedia storytelling, analytics, and AI tools 
  • Hiring data journalists, podcast producers, and UX designers 
  • Building CMS platforms that are content-creation, distribution, and analytics hubs all-in-one 

The Bigger Payoff: Reclaiming Influence 

Digitized, intelligent newsrooms are not just surviving; they are redefining their societal role: 

  • Guardians of truth in a fragmented information economy 
  • Community anchors spotlighting hyperlocal issues 
  • Multimedia educators driving informed citizenship 

Future-Proofing with Intelligent Automation 

At Ninestars, we don’t just digitize — we help news organizations reimagine journalism itself.

From custom AI R&D that shapes newsroom-first solutions, to generative engines built with an editorial backbone, to platforms that turn archives into living assets, we bring technology, language intelligence, and audience insights together to fuel sustainable growth.

Whether it’s empowering investigative depth, driving hyper-personalization, or unlocking new revenue streams, we build the invisible infrastructure that future-proofs newsrooms for the AI era — with context, credibility, and creativity at the core.

Future-proof your newsroom with AI-powered solutions— reach out to our experts today.  

How Customized Dashboards Revolutionize Media Insights for Decision-Makers

In today’s fast-moving world of social threads, trends, and split-second decisions, agility isn’t just an advantage, it’s a necessity. The ability to respond to events as they unfold can set a business apart. Think about how Netflix disrupted the entertainment industry by pivoting to streaming before others saw it coming. Or how Nike consistently turns cultural moments into marketing campaigns that dominate global conversations.

These success stories have one thing in common: fast decisions backed by real-time, actionable insights. But as any leader knows, speed without strategy leads to chaos. You need tools that not only deliver instant data but also reveal the deeper insights behind the numbers. This is where customized dashboards come in—a transformative solution for decision-makers navigating today’s complex media landscape.

 What Are Customized Dashboards?                

Customized dashboards are tailored, interactive tools that unify data from diverse sources, visually presenting it in a way that’s easy to understand and act upon. In the context of media monitoring, these dashboards go beyond basic metrics. They deliver real-time insights on brand mentions, audience sentiment, media reach, and competitor activity across platforms—from news outlets to social media and blogs.

Imagine having access to a dashboard that updates instantly with key metrics, offering a bird’s-eye view of your brand’s media presence. Instead of waiting for a report, you can assess your position in real-time and act swiftly—whether responding to a crisis or capitalizing on a trend.

The Game-Changing Benefits of Customized Dashboards

  1. Real-Time Data Access
    In a world where news cycles last minutes, waiting for insights is not an option. Customized dashboards provide immediate access to live data, helping leaders respond swiftly to emerging opportunities or threats. For example, tracking the media buzz around a product launch in real-time allows businesses to fine-tune their messaging and capitalize on positive sentiment.
  2. Proactive Crisis Control
    Remember the Domino’s 2009 scandal? The company used real-time monitoring tools to assess the situation and launch a swift response. Compare that to brands that delay their reaction, losing trust, revenue, and market position. Customized dashboards equip teams with instant sentiment analysis, helping them mitigate crises before they spiral out of control.
  3. Tailored Insights for Each Stakeholder
    Different roles require different insights. A CEO might focus on overall brand sentiment, while a PR team needs to track specific narratives. Dashboards can be customized to display data relevant to each role, eliminating noise and ensuring decisions are laser-focused.
  4. Holistic Media Monitoring
    Today’s media ecosystem spans online news, social media, videos, and podcasts. Dashboards aggregate data from these diverse channels, offering a 360° view of your media landscape. This comprehensive approach ensures you never miss critical mentions or emerging trends.
  5. Competitive Benchmarking
    Customized dashboards also enable real-time competitor analysis. By tracking their media performance—share of voice, sentiment, and campaign success—you can adjust your strategy to maintain an edge.
  6. Predictive Analytics for Proactive Action
    The integration of AI and Machine Learning allows dashboards to analyze historical data and predict future trends. For instance, by reviewing past product launches, you can anticipate media reception for upcoming campaigns. This foresight enables smarter, preemptive decisions.

Why Fast, Informed Decisions Matter

In the digital age, businesses that hesitate lose out. Consider this: when a competitor launches a campaign targeting your audience, waiting days for insights can cost you valuable ground. With a customized dashboard, you can immediately assess the situation, determine your next steps, and act confidently.

Let’s return to Netflix. Their pivot to streaming wasn’t just about anticipating consumer trends; it was about acting on them faster than their competitors. Likewise, Nike’s ability to create culturally resonant campaigns hinges on having the right insights at the right time.

The Practical Business Impact

Here’s how customized dashboards empower decision-makers:

  • Unified Data View: Centralize fragmented data into a single, easy-to-digest platform.
  • Timely Insights: Make decisions with the most up-to-date information, not outdated reports.
  • Improved Crisis Response: React instantly to negative sentiment or PR crises with real-time sentiment analysis.
  • Streamlined Reporting: Generate actionable reports quickly, reducing time spent on manual data aggregation.
  • Enhanced Campaign Strategies: Monitor performance metrics in real-time to optimize campaigns on the fly.
  • Stronger Customer Engagement: Track and respond to customer sentiment authentically, improving relationships and trust.

Why Choose Ninestars?

At Ninestars, we specialize in delivering customized dashboards that transform data into decision-ready insights. With over 25 years of experience, we’ve helped businesses around the world stay ahead of the curve.

Our dashboards offer:

  • Real-Time Media Monitoring across platforms in 31 languages.
  • Predictive Analytics to anticipate trends and stay proactive.
  • Competitive Benchmarking for insights into your industry’s landscape.
  • Customer Sentiment Analysis to guide engagement strategies.

Whether tracking up to 100,000 pages daily or analyzing trends across time zones, our solutions are tailored to meet your unique needs.

The Future of Media Insights

In a business world where timing defines success, customized dashboards are no longer optional—they’re essential. They empower leaders to act decisively, backed by real-time, actionable insights that drive results.

Are you ready to transform your media strategy? With Ninestars, you’ll have the tools you need to make faster, smarter decisions—because in today’s world, speed and accuracy aren’t just advantages., they are necessities.