Artificial intelligence seems to be the topic on everyone's lips. Yet AI is not new. All the more so in the audiovisual field, where the term is toppling between content theme and generic appellation for innovative means facilitating creation.
The history of artificial intelligence :
It was during the 50s that the idea of machines capable of thinking made its transition from the realm of science fiction (publication of "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov) to the circles of scientific research, notably with the publication by Alan Turing of a decisive article, "Computing Machinery and Intelligence", in which he proposed his famous Turing Test, followed in 1956 by the Dartmouth Conference and the establishment of the field of artificial intelligence research, as well as the term itself.
Technological developments in video :
Beyond AI, technological advances have always been a driving force in the audiovisual field, particularly in cinema, where the introduction of sound, color and, later, computer graphics have revolutionized the way things are done and produced, while opening up unprecedented new narrative possibilities.
These developments, like so many others, have always been greeted by a polarization of public opinion: those who, in their enthusiasm, were already imagining all the achievements now made possible by these advances and were therefore beginning to appropriate these tools, against those others who were worried about their harmful impact, imagined or real.
2022: a strong year for AI
The year 2022 will be remembered for the launch of two generative artificial intelligence platforms: Midjourney and ChatGPT, and the effect this had on the general public's interest in the sector. From then on, AI was part of every discussion, from the most profound to the most mundane, with the main theme being the threat its development could have on society as a whole, and jobs in particular. I'll take back a quote that's likely to become a saying: "You won't be replaced by AI, but by the people who learn to harness it."
For its part, Netflix designs and uses AI systems to optimize the creation of its content (virtual production techniques), but above all to personalize the experience of its platform's users. These intelligent systems choose which content to offer, the order in which it appears, the thumbnails displayed (different for each according to their affinities) and other variable interface parameters. AI is also used to assist designers in the creation of titles and posters (which font, which color, which layout?) and editors in the creation of trailers (which shot with which other shot?) to increase audience engagement with this marketing content.
The benefits of AI in audiovisual creation:
If there's one aspect of AI applications that everyone (almost) agrees on, it's its ability to automate redundant and time-consuming technical tasks - those tasks, in fact, that no-one wants to do, and which are, quite often, a chore to be completed before we can move on to the more fulfilling activities of the job. Examples include organizing, sorting and synchronizing media before building the edit, rotoscoping a visual element to separate it from the background, removing an unwanted element from the frame, matching colors across shots, subtitling, reducing sound or visual noise, and so on. Systems such as Adobe Sensei, Adobe Firefly, Runway and Wonder Studio are already demonstrating the benefits of AI, not only in its ability to relieve artists of tedious, purely technical tasks so that they can concentrate on the more creative aspects of their craft, but also by enabling operations that were previously impossible. This is what is at stake with restoration and artifact reduction solutions, which make it possible to defocus or enlarge an image, recover a voice lost in the background, and even colorize archive images.
Artificial intelligence as a means of creativity:
Beyond the technical, AI is a real catalyst for creativity, and potentially, a cure for writer's block. A videographer who encounters a creative block can now turn to systems such as ChatGPT, Dall-e, or Midjourney, to name but the most famous, for inspiration; brainstorming in solo mode that effectively draws on a gigantic pile of data to come up with new, original proposals. Platforms such as Notion and Canva are already equipped with creative tools.
AI-assisted screenwriting was one of the main issues behind the WGA strike in 2023. This strike ended on September 27 with an agreement between the studios and the WGA on this issue. Winners, losers? The real story: transformation.
At Tydeo, innovation has always been one of our core values. That's why we're enthusiastically embracing advances in artificial intelligence, and embarking on research and development to integrate these technologies into our platform.
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