AI is quickly becoming one of the most transformative technologies of our time. It’s changing how we live, work, and communicate, and the media industry is no exception, writes Josh Wheeler, founder of broadcast specialist consultancy agency Be Broadcast.
I am a bit sceptical about death-knell warnings for PR.
We at Be Broadcast have been exploring how it might impact broadcasters and wanted to share our thoughts…
More Personalised
AI is helping TV to deliver more personalised content recommendations to their audiences based on their viewing history and preferences. This means that viewers will see more of the content they love and less of the content they don’t, leading to a better overall viewing experience.
But if you have a smart TV, there has been a form of this in place for some time already.
In radio, stations could become ever more personalised with music and listener history. But in saying that, we’ve had Spotify for years, which hasn’t killed radio.
It will likely eat up things like voiceovers and sting creation – will we start to see radio outlets ‘own’ ownership of a presenter’s voice, which saves them having to record audio promos? For some, that will be a blessing…
It could also take up news, travel and weather bulletins – often connected to Sky News Radio or a separate lesser-known presenter already and so less ‘personal’ in the audience and station relationship. But remember when your car would alert you to traffic updates… and just how annoying that was?
Understanding human engagement is nuanced and challenging for AI to get right.
But, I struggle to see how AI would kill radio – it will impact things like content planning – but I think the charm of radio is the presenter who brings personality and insight (i.e. being from the area etc.).
You listened to Wogan because it was Wogan – not because he had Girls Aloud’s latest banger…
It will almost certainly hit things like scheduling and playlist creation in the industry – potentially freeing up resource and inevitably, this will lead to job losses.
It will be interesting to watch how music companies engage AI right now – with radio having a huge impact on the charts; it could be that a song is released and lives or dies by AI alone in future if AI has the choice.
Will we see a day when AI has created the entire music chart? It made news when downloads did it, so I think this perhaps isn’t too farfetched.
Content creation
AI is going to whip up content creation in TV. It is already automating many aspects of the content creation process, from scriptwriting and editing to animation and visual effects, which will only grow. Outlets would be wise to invest in broader and more dynamic content – rather than simply cutting jobs AI might ‘replace’.
Ads
AI is being used to deliver more relevant and targeted ads to viewers based on their interests, viewing history, and demographic information. This means that viewers will see fewer irrelevant ads and more ads that interest them. As with all types of ads – viewers will find a way around trying to view them, and so ‘human’ input will be needed to rationalise and consider what is done.
But think of it this way *as a consumer* – would you care if a voiceover on an ad was scripted and voiced by AI?
Maybe we are old – but the best ads are provocative or show emotion. There are only so many times we can hear “Daisy, Daisy, Daisy, Daisy…” before we lose it. Can AI ever truly learn the nuance of our humanity? I’m not so sure…
Improved audience insights
AI is helping TV companies gather and understand data about their audiences, leading to more effective programming decisions and enhanced audience engagement. TV stations can respond to changing audience needs and trends in real time.
Personally, we would love better metrics than the ‘reach’ of stations – could this be part of the mix in years to come?
Enhanced live production
AI is used to automate tasks such as camera operation, graphics, and replay during live broadcasts, freeing up resources and improving product quality.
Could we be in a situation where a breaking news story happens, and we get documentary or Panorama-style output on that evening due to the speed rather than a week later? It perhaps becomes possible – but it impacts investigative journalists and raises questions about influence.
As with any innovation through history, there will be pros and cons – but our overarching sense is that PR content which relies on human insight about the way we think, work, love, feel, care and emote about things, can’t simply be replaced by AI.
Not yet, at least. And if it does, we need to ring IT to ask them to turn it off.
But our focus should be on how we can use it to better our processes and support colleagues in the industry who will be impacted. We should also forecast where it will impact us and spot retraining so we don’t face a brain drain as AI is used more broadly in our sectors.
