“Build your own tools” puts AI power in the hands of newsroom users

Milan, Italy. 21st May, 2025

“By bringing the design of these AI tools closer to those who use them, we’ve seen a quantum leap in power and usability,” said Alex Wiedemann, Eidosmedia Head of Professional Services – Media Business Unit.

“AI technology is evolving rapidly and new models are emerging almost every week,” said Alex. “ProActions lets users keep up with these developments by providing a common interface with all the common commercially available LLMs.”

ProActions allows users of Eidosmedia’s Swing and Prime editorial environments to create their own AI tools by writing a prompt for an external LLM and linking it with a menu item or other element within the user interface.

“ProActions does the heavy lifting so that users can create innovative tools without needing to be tech-savvy,” said Alex. “It significantly cuts the time-to-market for getting these innovative technologies up and running.”

Multi-model management and security

Users can choose whichever model works best for the function they are integrating because ProActions works with a complete range of commercial LLMs. It also allows the use of internal LLMs for customers whose content may be confidential and must not leave their secure perimeter.

The framework monitors use of the external AI services in order to control costs and, if necessary, balance the load between different models.

The ProActions User Community

“We’ve created a user community to share ideas and our first online meetings have featured some extremely impressive integrations,” said Alex.

“We’ve seen some great applications from users in Germany and France,” said Alex. “They include in-line tools that, with a single click, generate a complete suite of story elements from headlines and summaries to SEO features. Another application is a set of rewrite tools to shorten, lengthen or improve story texts, tracking changes so they can be compared with the original and accepted or rejected.”

High usability

“The way an AI tool is accessed can make a difference between a high-productivity booster and a clunky, difficult-to-access function,” said Alex. “When users are designing things for themselves and their team, they can curate the UI for maximum usability. Inline buttons that authors can select without taking their eyes off the text and multiple-function actions like the story packager mentioned above, are examples of high-usability features that come from involving users in the design process.”

An open future for AI application

“We’re very excited about the possibilities that the ProActions framework offers our users,” said Stefan Bresslauer, Head of Business Unit – Media and Corporate. “It will allow their operations to make the best use of emerging AI technologies, whatever the direction of their future evolution.”

Find out more about AI-powered tools for authors and editors.