Dear Reader,

PenBayPilot.com is going to test-run a new feature, and together with you, we will determine if we like it.

Today, you will see a new “listen” option when you select an article to read. This will be an audio conversion of the text that will be read to you, if you so choose to select the "Listen to audio version of this article,” just above the lede paragraph.

The feature is developed with AI and the voice you will hear will be synthetic. We have chosen the voice of “Leo” from a variety of male and female voices to read to us.

The product we will try is that of the San Francisco-based and privately-owned Instaread. The company specializes: “in transforming the written word into engaging audio experiences. Our cutting-edge platform empowers publishers by seamlessly converting articles, newsletters, and other content into high-quality audio formats.”

People engage with their media outlets in increasingly varied ways, and listening to Penobscot Bay Pilot coverage of Midcoast news and information may appeal to folks on the move — cooking dinner, on the road, in the garden, rowing the boat….

See what you think, and hear, and let us know your thoughts (news@penbaypilot.com). We appreciate your feedback and as already noted, it is an experiment. Let’s see how it goes.