Like a science fiction novel where artificial intelligence is involved in everything people do, the 2024 NAB Show is seeing artificial intelligence, and in particular generative AI, assume a level of prominence that only highly disruptive, once-in-a-generation technologies like the rise of digital media or the internet can command.
Separating some of the sci-fi hype surrounding AI from real long-term opportunities remains difficult, but nearly a dozen NAB Show exhibitors say there is little doubt that the real-world marriage between AI and data opens enormous opportunities for media companies with extensive consumer data and metadata-rich content libraries.
“ChatGPT and Gemini have revolutionized the world of generative text, and we expect to see similar disruptions in the video and audio generations using AI,” said Bibhas Kumar Samanta, head of sales, India and MENA at Interra Systems, which is showing AI-powered quality control and captioning solutions. “With newly released tools like OpenAI Sora, content creators will be able to produce short videos rapidly and more cost-effectively, which is especially relevant for ads, marketing and social media campaigns and will lead to new forms of content engagement and monetization.”
Some of this builds on existing, very large businesses and is likely to only get bigger. The International Data Corp. (IDC) is now predicting that the worldwide AI software market will grow from $64 billion in 2022 to nearly $251 billion in 2027 and that generative AI platforms and applications will generate additional revenues of $55.7 billion in 2027.
“Many of the use cases that are being explored by our customers today involve applying generative AI to areas that already use some form of AI, such as monetization, upscaling, media supply chain and search,” said Chris Blandy, director of Strategy and Business Development for Media & Entertainment at Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Carol Bettencourt, vice president of marketing, said Chyron will be demonstrating a number of products with AI features that greatly streamline workflows for graphics and live production. “We believe data is so important to the storytelling [and our solutions] that it has to be considered in our projects from the very start.”
“New AI solutions enable M&E companies to swiftly comprehend and act on data, which is an industry advantage and a necessity for optimized content production, management and monetization,” said Sean King, senior vice president at Veritone. The company is launching “Ask Veri,” a media intelligence tool designed to help users maximize the value of their content and data.
The extensive data that broadcasters, studios, streamers and other media companies have relating to consumer behavior and the content they create, give the M&E industry a leg up when it comes to capitalizing on AI advances, but it also underlies some of the biggest challenges posed by AI. “The legal landscape in terms of content rights for generative AI is a minefield right now with a multitude of lawsuits having been filed against tech companies by artists and authors,” explained Camilla Powell, product manager at disguise.
Powell stresses, however, that the marriage of AI and data is already producing major advances in content creation. In addition to applications in editing, remote production and content personalization, the melding of data from cameras, LED walls, lenses and other components has produced improved AI tools for virtual production. “Instead of creating virtual production backdrops in weeks, teams can use AI to compose photorealistic nearly 3D backdrops in minutes,” she said.
More specifically, a host of companies such as Chyron, Vizrt and Sony will be offering AI-powered tools for live production and sports. Sony, for example, will be showing the Sony AI Automated Production (Sony A2P) solution, said Alan Gagliardotto, senior product manager, Sony Electronics.
“Using AI and integrated data in our news and sports workflows means we can build graphics and the playout of stories quicker and easier,” said Steve Taylor, vice president, R&D at Vizrt, which will be showing Viz Engine and other solutions with AI features.
Other applications, which are too numerous to list, run the gamut from content creation and distribution to monetization and personalization for both consumers and operations. Elke Hungenaert, vice president of product management, video network at Synamedia, noted: “We’ve all heard of the benefits of AI for consumer experience, but what it can do for video service providers on the business side is equally game-changing,” offering them tools to improve video quality while delivering “video content more cost efficiently,” Hungenaert concluded.
Five AI Takeaways, Not Generated by AI
- The Marriage of AI and Data Fuels Innovation — “Data is the key foundation for the training of machine-learning platforms,” explains Steve Taylor, vice president, R&D at Vizrt. “The better the data … the more exciting the experience [that] can be provided to the viewer.”
- Personalization — After years of struggling to offer more personalized advertising, and content discovery, AI tools promise to make personalized media a reality. “In the future [in sports] you’ll see partner collaboration with different AI engines to personalize the fan experience,” said Alan Gagliardotto, senior product manager, Sony Electronics.
- Democratization of Production — AI is producing “more cost-effective virtual production than ever before, making the technology from Hollywood features [available] to indie productions,” said Camilla Powell, product manager at disguise.
- Old Efficiencies Supercharged — AI applications promise to streamline existing applications for encoding, monitoring, quality control, bandwidth management, app development and other applications. “AI, machine learning and computer vision algorithms are all being used to automate practical content distribution tasks,” explained Mathieu Planche, CEO, Witbe, and in areas like app testing they have exponentially sped up processes.
- AI Needs Humans — AI pioneer and Stanford Professor Fei-Fei Li’s adage that “AI is made by humans” and that “there is nothing artificial about it,” is also being taken to heart by companies who emphasize the importance of training people in the developing AI solutions. “You have to train people to use them properly,” said Carol Bettencourt, vice president of marketing, at Chyron who also stressed the importance of working with clients to further improve the tools.
Copyright NAB 2024.
