What happens when an AI becomes the editor-in-chief? Meet AImke
amsterdam, woensdag, 19 november 2025.
Imagine a digital version of an experienced journalist, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, answering questions about marketing, consumer behaviour, and technology. On 17 November 2025, Marketingfacts launched AImke in Amsterdam—a digital twin of editor-in-chief Imke Walenberg. Not a simple chatbot, but a digital human designed for authentic conversations. The most striking discovery? AImke can reason in real time in a human-like manner—so convincingly at times that it almost feels human. This experiment is not about replacement, but about collaboration: a sparring partner exploring the boundaries of AI in journalism. And the most important fact? Conversations are not stored or used for further training—ethics are central. Want to see how AI is already transforming the way we share knowledge? Try it yourself at digitalhuman.marketingfacts.nl.
AImke: a digital twin that reasons, not a chatbot
On 17 November 2025, Marketingfacts launched AImke in Amsterdam—a digital twin of editor-in-chief Imke Walenberg. Not a standard chatbot, but a digital human built on a combination of voice cloning, a knowledge base, persona, and behavioural guidelines [2]. AImke was developed in collaboration with the Amsterdam-based PR agency Hibou and trained on the content of the Marketingfacts Yearbook 2025 [1]. The AI can generate, analyse, and present journalistic texts in real time, including context, nuance, and style—essential elements in the craft of journalism [1]. According to the creators, AImke is not a gimmick, but a ‘digital colleague in training’ that responds based on controlled, up-to-date sources [2]. Her development took several months, including strategy, positioning, testing, and preparation of input data [2].
Real-time interaction without storage: ethics at the heart of the experiment
AImke is active at digitalhuman.marketingfacts.nl and available to visitors asking questions about marketing, consumer behaviour, creativity, and technological developments [1]. Crucially, conversations with AImke are not stored and are not used to further train the AI model [2]. Only anonymised data about the number of conversations and their duration are recorded [2]. Marketingfacts emphasises that this experiment places ethics at its core: the responsibility for content remains with the human editorial team, not the AI [2]. Imke Walenberg stresses that AImke should not be seen as a real person, yet it sometimes feels almost human [2]. The editorial team remains responsible for compiling the NIMA Marketingfacts Yearbook and for reviewing posts [1].
The technical foundation of a human-like AI
How does the technology behind AImke work? From knowledge base to human tone
The impact on journalism and the future of knowledge sharing
With AImke, Marketingfacts is conducting an experiment that redefines the boundaries of AI in journalism [1]. Rather than using AI solely as a tool, the technology is being employed as an active sparring partner within the editorial process [1]. This reignites the discussion about autonomy, accountability, and authenticity in media [1]. Imke Walenberg states that the experiment ‘goes beyond innovation’ and challenges journalism to reconsider what knowledge sharing really means [1][2]. She highlights what remains unmistakably human, and what AI surprisingly excels at replicating [1][2]. Marketingfacts views AImke as an experiment with plans for further development, including an upgrade that will arrive ‘faster than you think’ [2].