Television weather reports in Denver now feature an unexpected twist: the presenter bidding viewers sunny days ahead is not a human, but an artificial avatar. This technological marvel was highlighted at the NAB Show in Las Vegas, where the broadcasting industry gathered to witness the future of media.
Digital Credibility and Acceptance on the Rise
Daniel Anstandig, CEO of Futuri, revealed that despite the presenter’s non-existence in the flesh, the avatar garnered a believability score between 8 and 10 from over half of those surveyed. The evolving pace of artificial intelligence (AI) suggests avatars delivering news will become progressively normal and accepted.
Meanwhile, Jan Weigner of Cinegy spoke about transitioning to a “software-defined television” era. Fascinating prospects lie ahead, with broadcasters potentially leveraging cloud services, like Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, to generate content.
In-Car Entertainment’s Audiovisual Battle
Further advancements were teased by Curtis LeGeyt, president of the NAB, who announced the onset of a competitive race to dominate in-car entertainment in the imminent hyperconnected vehicles. Cristiano Amon, CEO of Qualcomm, envisions cars equipped with at least eight screens and bandwidth catering to high-definition content streaming.
Alain Nochimowski from Viaccess Orca anticipates a shift in user-generated content, pointing towards AI automation. Personalization of video content is headed towards crafting individualized messages employing insights drawn from audience data analytics.
As these technologies progress, monetization strategies are refining. Mike Chiodotti from Endeavor Streaming suggests direct-to-consumer services as essential in expanding subscriptions, with added benefits intertwined with the full ecosystem of rights holders, such as exclusive content and event tickets.
Sports Broadcasting Enters a New Era
Sports broadcasting remains a powerful player in the industry. For the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Intel announced “AI Everywhere,” a concept recently embraced at CES in Las Vegas. Intel Geti, a platform designed by Intel, will automatically generate and distribute event highlights to viewers instantly.
Lori Schwartz, CEO of Storytech, encapsulates the dynamic shift: Postproduction processes are advancing to earlier stages of content creation, signifying the emergence of a formidable creator economy, a realm with significant financial stakes yet to be fully recognized by the public.
Key Questions and Answers:
Q: What is an AI avatar?
A: An AI avatar, in the context of television and media, refers to a digitally created entity that uses artificial intelligence to perform tasks traditionally done by humans, such as presenting the weather or news.
Q: How might software-defined television change the broadcasting industry?
A: Software-defined television refers to the shift from traditional hardware-based production and distribution to software and cloud-based services. This could result in a more flexible, efficient, and cost-effective way of creating, managing, and delivering television content.
Q: What are the potential benefits of AI avatars in broadcasting?
A: AI avatars can be available 24/7, reduce production costs by eliminating the need for a physical set or human presenter, personalize content for different audiences, and quickly update information in real-time.
Challenges and Controversies:
One challenge relates to the job displacement of human presenters and the potential impact on employment within the broadcasting industry. Additionally, there are ethical concerns about deepfakes and the possibility of misusing AI-generated content to spread misinformation or propaganda.
Another controversy revolves around the resistance from audiences who may prefer human interaction and could push back against the widespread adoption of AI avatars due to a lack of the human touch or emotional connection.
Advantages and Disadvantages:
Advantages include the potential for cost savings, the ability to scale up content production efficiently, and the adaptability of AI avatars to different languages and formats. The technology can also create personalized viewing experiences and open up new forms of interactive television.
Disadvantages center around the potential loss of personal touch and human authenticity in broadcasting. There is also the risk of technology leading to a diminished number of jobs and the ethical considerations mentioned earlier.
Relevant links to the topic might include:
– Amazon Web Services
– Microsoft Azure
– Qualcomm
– Intel
The URLs above lead to the main pages for each of the services or companies that are part of the infrastructure supporting AI avatars and software-defined television, which could provide additional information about the technologies and services used in these emerging fields.