Frequently asked questions

Everything before your first call.

Below are the questions people ask most before running their first interview through Aila — from how a call actually works to how source material is protected. Anything missing, write in.

What Aila is

What is Aila?

Aila calls your sources and interviews them — by phone or a web link — then returns the conversation as video, audio, a timecoded transcript and quotes, all from one call. You write the story hypothesis and the questions; Aila runs the interview and hands back the material.

Does it replace me?

No. You decide who to call, what to ask, what the story is, and what gets published. Aila runs the mechanical part of the interview and hands back everything checkable — the recording, the transcript, the clips. Every editorial decision after that is still yours.

Why not just record the call myself?

You could. What Aila adds is that the same call comes back four ways — a video clip, an audio clip, a transcript you can search and check quotes against, and pull quotes ready to publish — without you re-cutting or re-transcribing anything afterward.

How a call works

How does an interview actually happen?

You write the story hypothesis and the questions you want answered. Aila calls the source — or texts them a link to call in — and runs the interview, following up based on what the source actually says. When the call ends, the recording, transcript and clips are in your dashboard.

Do sources know they are talking to Aila?

Yes, always. Aila identifies itself at the start of every call, says who the interview is for, and says the call is being recorded. A source agrees to that before answering a single question.

Do I get to check the material before anything is published?

Yes, always. Nothing Aila produces gets published automatically. You get the recording and transcript, you decide what to use, and you publish it yourself — on your own schedule.

What comes back after a call?

A video clip, an audio clip, a full timecoded transcript, and pull quotes ready to drop into a piece — all from the same conversation, no re-recording required.

Who it is for

Who is Aila built for?

People who publish alone, every week, and depend on what other people tell them — newsletter writers, podcasters, and reporters running their own publication. Not newsrooms with a research desk behind them.

Can I use it for a running series, not just one story?

Yes — a lot of the value shows up on repeat: checking back in with the same sources issue after issue, or running the same set of questions past a wider pool of people to see where the answers agree or split.

Can I interview a source in their own language?

Yes. Aila supports nine languages — English, Norwegian (Bokmål), Norwegian (Nynorsk), Swedish, Danish, German, Spanish and French — and detects which one a source is speaking within the first few seconds, no setup needed from you.

Sourcing and trust

Are the sources real, named people?

Yes — every source is named, and every quote can be checked against the recording. That is the whole point: material a reader or another outlet can verify, not paraphrase.

Is my interview material private?

Yes. Recordings, transcripts and source details are private to your account. Nothing is shared with a third party, and nothing is used to train a model. Delete any interview — recording and transcript both — from your dashboard whenever you want.

Getting started

How do I try it?

The first few calls are free, no credit card required. Write a hypothesis, add a source, and Aila runs the interview — most people have their first real interview back within fifteen minutes of signing up.

What does it cost after that?

$99 a month, flat — every format from every interview, no per-minute meter. If you need more than one seat, get in touch and we will set up a Team plan.

Do I need to set anything up?

No. It runs in the browser — nothing to install, no integrations to configure. Your source needs even less: a phone or a browser is enough.

Still have questions?

The first few calls are free — see what comes back.

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