PaperTok: Exploring the Use of Generative AI for Creating Short-form Videos for Research Communication

TL;DR

PaperTok leverages generative AI to transform academic papers into engaging short videos, aiding researchers in science communication despite limited time and skills.

Contribution

This work introduces PaperTok, an end-to-end AI system that automates script and audiovisual generation from papers, enhancing research dissemination.

Findings

Participants found PaperTok helpful for creating engaging videos

The system increased efficiency in producing research content

Users expressed a need for more detailed control options

Abstract

The dissemination of scholarly research is critical, yet researchers often lack the time and skills to create engaging content for popular media such as short-form videos. To address this gap, we explore the use of generative AI to help researchers transform their academic papers into accessible video content. Informed by a formative study with science communicators and content creators (N=8), we designed PaperTok, an end-to-end system that automates the initial creative labor by generating script options and corresponding audiovisual content from a source paper. Researchers can then refine based on their preferences with further prompting. A mixed-methods user study (N=18) and crowdsourced evaluation (N=100) demonstrate that PaperTok's workflow can help researchers create engaging and informative short-form videos. We also identified the need for more fine-grained controls in the creation process. To this end, we offer implications for future generative tools that support science outreach.