Commentary

AI For Legacy Media: The Good, The Bad, And the Emotional

• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, Yesterday

AI (artificial intelligence) promises now to make linear TV and streaming feel more connected as a spontaneous platform that has the capability to adjust to your moods and shifts -- in part, just like social media.

And you may never need to touch the remote.

Will all this help to reimagine linear TV and streaming platforms? The rise of AI-assisted short video seems to be part of the plan.

In part this is why Walt Disney struck a deal with Open AI Sora text-to-video platform allowing users to create short-form video using Disney characters and content.

Another shift would be using AI to "alter" series episodes -- not "promo"-type content -- in an effort to help viewers catch up on missed content.

And it only goes further from there. AI could be used to identify viewers who are bored or disinterested in content. One thought is that it could offer a personalized "shoppable" TV moment for products and services you have been highly interested in.

At the same time, legacy linear TV streaming owners will look to AI to certify that videos shows are authentic -- not so-called "deepfakes" -- with digital watermarks.

In the near term, legacy TV will look to totally avoid random commercials. And that’s where AI will match viewers with an emotional tone of the scene they have just watched -- or some other "signal" that AI picks up -- all this increasing the chance that those viewers will stay tuned.

Going forward, the bigger concern is how AI will generate future stories and characters.

Actors and writers are obviously concerned about this. This includes “likeness” issues of actors, when it comes to images and “voice cloning".

Already there are high-profile legal battles when it comes to digitally resurrecting performers who have passed years or decades ago.

Until recently, social media has been strongly viewed as a main competitor to legacy TV and streaming. Now this legacy media will be taking on a different, but honest, approach -- perhaps even friendly.

So... if you can’t beat 'em, join 'em.