Oria Expands to 40 Countries, Using AI to Preserve Oral Histories
Updated
Updated · AfroTech · May 15
Oria Expands to 40 Countries, Using AI to Preserve Oral Histories
3 articles · Updated · AfroTech · May 15
More than 40 countries now use Oria, Josiah Faison’s startup for collecting and archiving oral histories through mobile and web apps.
AI tools power transcription, theme detection and a chat agent that asks follow-up questions, turning audio stories into searchable digital libraries.
The company says organizations can launch oral-history campaigns in as little as five minutes, letting communities gather text, audio and video at institutional scale.
Faison built Oria after losing his grandmother’s stories during the pandemic; he says over 90% of stories disappear within three generations.
Since starting with $10,000 from RIT’s accelerator, Oria has added six-figure angel backing and $25,000 in JPMorgan Chase cloud credits for 2026.
Can a venture-backed startup truly democratize history, or will profit motives ultimately silence the most vulnerable voices?
As AI archives our family stories, who truly owns our digital memories and controls the resulting narrative?