Cost Estimates
Summary
Administrative / Shared Costs |
Per Church Costs |
Development (one-time project): $25,000 |
Initial Hardware: $700–1,000 |
Human Review (per language, per sermon): $20–30 |
Ongoing Cost (per year): ~$250 |
1. Development Costs (One-Time Setup)
- Video Processing Pipeline: $12,000
Custom code + AI API integration to convert sermons into 100+ languages with lip-sync.
- Web Portal Design: $4,000
Multi-language delivery site for partner churches.
- Admin Dashboard: $3,000
Tools for scheduling, uploads, and tracking church activity.
- Initial Testing & Pilot Deployment: $6,000
First 10 churches, support + iteration.
Total One-Time Development Cost: $25,000
2. Human Review Process
While AI translation and lip-sync technology can handle much of the heavy lifting, human oversight remains essential for theological accuracy, clarity, and natural delivery—especially during early deployment.
Each weekly message (approx. 30 minutes) passes through the following human-in-the-loop steps:
- English Transcript Proofing: Reviewing and cleaning up the original transcript.
- Foreign Language Review: Native-speaking reviewer checks the AI-translated version for accuracy and tone.
- Final Video Review: Ensures alignment, natural lip-sync, and smooth playback.
Estimated Human Cost (Per Language, Per Sermon)
- Transcript Cleanup (English): $5–7 USD
- Foreign Translation Review: $10–15 USD
- Final Video Review: $5–8 USD
Total: $20–30 USD per language per sermon
Based on prevailing freelance wages in developing countries.
Note: As AI improves, human review needs and costs will decline over time.
3. Ongoing Deployment Costs (Per Church, Per Year)
- AI Translation & Lip Sync API Usage: $120
$2.50 per video x 4 messages/month x 12 months
- Content Delivery + Hosting (via Starlink/Cloud): $60
Bandwidth, storage, delivery of weekly video sermons.
- Local Support / Technical Maintenance: $70
Regional coordinator or WhatsApp tech support per cluster of churches.
Total Ongoing Cost per Church: ~$250/year
4. Initial Investment Per Church
- Starlink Satellite Hardware: $500–600 (one-time)
- Laptop (for sermon playback and download): $300–600
- TV or Projector (if needed): $150–400
These one-time hardware costs may be shared among churches or funded via sponsorships. Some may already have infrastructure in place.