Artificial Intelligence is Going to Change the Media Industry

Improvements to technology have been a part of the world as far back as I can remember. We saw LPs and 8 tracks replaced by cassettes, CDs, and MP3’s, newspapers/magazines shifted to websites, newsletters and social media, and black and white TV evolved to color, while cable was followed by satellite and streaming.

It’s happened on the dashboard inside your car too. Tesla’s today offer a different look than what you saw in 2000-2020 vehicles. Those automobiles offered better displays than what was available from 1950-1999. It’s why Xperi is aggressively promoting DTS Autostage. They want to improve the in-car data experience for operators, advertisers and auto dealers. I received an in-car education last week in Las Vegas. It was impressive. With nearly 7 million activated cars globally, and over 4 million operational in the US, the sample sizes are strong and growing. Eventually more in-car listening will be measured this way, not less.

The same transformation is happening with artificial intelligence. I know some folks hear those two words and get immediately nervous. It’s not perfect, and there are plenty of questions and concerns that need to be addressed. For starters, should it be regulated by the government? How will people know what is real and what isn’t? How do we prevent bad actors from using it for the wrong reasons?

Perry Simon made a great point in his column on BNM last week. He said ‘AI-driven operations will only be as good as the people programming, feeding, and operating the platforms.’ His assessment is that the problems facing the media industry are more about humans than about technology. That’s a fair statement. Many folks though are warning about artificial intelligence while carrying a cell phone in their hand, posting on multiple social media accounts, and telling Siri and Alexa what to play next.

Your every word and action is monitored today whether you like it or not. The second you say something out loud, you open up Facebook and see an ad for it. You plug in a smart speaker and it hears every single thing said in your home. Siri does the same in your car. While you can be concerned, and question why we give away access to our lives, the reality is that we do, and it’s not going to change.

So the questions become, how do we live with it moving forward? And, how can we use the technology to our benefit while installing guardrails to prevent malpractice?

At the NAB Show last week, AI was the central theme of the conference. If a business existed and could add the two letters A and I to its booth, it did. Everyone sees what’s happening. There’s a rush to establish a dominant position in the space. In many ways it reminds me of the sports betting craze in 2018. Every group rushed in, wanting a slice of the pie. Little by little, some faded away, others sold and became part of larger groups, and the heavyweights stuck around. The difference with this, those who get it right could own the world and specific industries, not just the sports bettor in individual states.

Stephanie Eads and I met with groups who are investing in AI. Futuri, Veritone, Adthos, Benztown/ENCO/Compass, AWS, Microsoft were some who we visited and heard samples from. A few others we’ve arranged post-conference meetings with. I also attended sessions including Daniel Anstandig’s keynote with Ameca, an autonomously AI-powered humanoid robot.

The media industry is going to change a lot due to AI. Some will read this and fear robots running the world. The possibility of jobs being lost will be another concern. I spend no time worrying about robot takeovers but I do understand the concern over jobs being eliminated. I have them too. But that raises a different question. Is the job you’re doing essential?

I don’t recall the same level of panic when the internet arrived and editors and writers lost jobs. Nor do I recall outrage when Blockbuster employees, taxi drivers and Yellow Pages workers lost jobs due to the arrival of better options. It’s part of life. Businesses and individuals will always look to innovate and evolve.

I stopped by the ENCO booth to see a few industry friends from Benztown, and watched a great presentation for SPECai. It’s going to be a sales department’s best friend. Excellent spec spots created quickly with creative writing, produced music, and a talent’s voice.

As I listened, I thought of how long it takes to complete this process inside a media operation. Currently, sellers write a script, send it to the production director, who then tracks down the talent and has them voice the spot before producing it and emailing it to the rep. The seller then reviews it and sends it to the client. That entire process, which takes hours to complete was done in less than ten minutes. By not having to waste time on the minutia, it gives sellers more time to create and sell. That benefits everyone.

I heard and saw similar things for on-air content. Daniel Anstandig played three clips during his keynote and asked the audience to guess if they were human or AI. All three were AI. Whether you wanted to admit it or not, they sounded great. I immediately thought of music stations that use voice tracking for nights and weekends, and DJ’s who fill time between songs and don’t establish themselves as personalities. If this technology can improve what’s on the air, while helping media groups reduce spending on less important parts to invest more in the key areas of their business, that just makes sense.

But it goes beyond that too. There are business opportunities that could exist that we’re not even thinking about right now.

What if WQAM in Miami, an English speaking sports station in a heavy Hispanic community, had an AI Spanish-Speaking version of its content on a second stream? Or if a sports station in Chicago used AI to license Mike Ditka and Harry Caray’s voices for commercials or specialized imaging/promos? Or if the entire library of Stuart Scott’s work at ESPN, Mike and the Mad Dog’s shows on WFAN or a sports franchise’s entire history could be bought and accessed in minutes. That could open up additional revenue opportunities while benefitting the user too.

How many radio station websites feature no written content or material delivered by outside sources? What if AI could deliver written stories to enhance your local offerings? Or maybe down the line, it helps with your social media content creation, promotion, and scheduling.

It can extend beyond content and sales too. How many businesses can benefit from improving employee training manuals and videos, payroll systems, powerpoint presentations, educating staff, analysis of metrics, etc.? Even some music will be created through AI. Before you write it off, watch this clip. It circulated on social media last week after OJ Simpson died. I don’t love the subject matter but you can’t say the tune isn’t catchy.