C-suite execs, listen to your teams: Fueling AI success in media and entertainment

This article was previously published in ANA Magazine, a publication run by the Association of National Advertisers and read by the marketing and creative community.

Around the world, talented creatives are considering, evaluating, and using generative AI (gen AI) for media content creation tasks, such as previsualization, virtual production, visual effects, and synthetic voice and music production. However, there is often a disconnect between executives and creatives regarding the adoption of gen AI tools. 

According to MIT Sloan researchers, the “business side of traditional movie studios is sometimes more reluctant to embrace AI.” Some studios have imposed total bans on the use of gen AI until legal ambiguities get resolved while others are open to its use but want to include a disclosure about the use of gen AI.

In contrast, creatives, particularly those in production and post-production, directly experience the benefits of using these technologies, making them more likely to want to adopt gen AI as an extension of their toolkits. Media executives are finding it challenging to balance this growing demand with the perspective of the talent they work with, who have expressed concerns that AI use can violate contractual agreements.  

A report from the U.S. Copyright Office, recently noted, “Technology should move forward in a way that ensures human creativity continues to thrive.” In the media and entertainment industry, human involvement is especially critical for gaining that extra edge with gen AI. Therefore, C-suite executives should actively engage with their creative teams at the forefront of AI implementations; they are uniquely positioned to offer invaluable insights, to fully capitalize on the potential of gen AI, mitigate risks, and foster innovation.

Understanding the creative perspective on gen AI

Currently, creative teams are experimenting with how to get the best results from gen AI with a view towards understanding what this transformative technology can — and cannot — do. This period of exploration is a great opportunity for executives to have meaningful conversations with creatives and get their thoughts on gen AI. 

Creative professionals are deeply invested in how this new technology affects both their craft and daily work, and they are often one of the strongest sources of information and inspiration when it comes to AI adoption. Creatives understand the positive impact of gen AI and tend to see it as an extension of their creative abilities. By listening to creative teams, executives and leaders can help bridge any gaps in their understanding and make more informed decisions about AI integration.

Still, attitudes towards gen AI can vary significantly among creators, ranging from enthusiastic adoption to staunch resistance. While some embrace the capabilities of new AI tools, others reject them outright. Researching and understanding these different perspectives is crucial for executives to make informed decisions.

Many creative professionals are seeing improvements in their work from using gen AI. A global Adobe survey of over 2,500 creative professionals revealed that those using gen AI are seeing significant efficiency gains in their workflows, allowing them to focus their creative energy on the work they enjoy. Two-thirds (66%) of surveyed creative professionals using gen AI tools said they're making better content and more than half reported they've increased the quantity of content they create. Additionally, 69% believe gen AI will provide them with new ways to express their creativity.

Some examples of the creative benefits of using gen AI shared in the Adobe survey include:

• Enhanced capabilities: Gen AI can help speed up and simplify common tasks, while increasing the quality and quantity of outputs.

• Content localization: 30% of U.S. media and entertainment decision-makers anticipate using AI for content localization, which can greatly increase the potential audience for content.

• Personalized content: Gen AI can boost efficiency and increase output in areas like personalized content generation.

Despite these advantages, some notable challenges persist. The Adobe survey also found that ethical and moral concerns can be a barrier to entry for 25% of creative professionals. Similarly, a recent survey from the National Research Group (NRG) found that some creative workers have ethical concerns about AI and remain unsure about their intellectual property rights for AI-generated content. As a result, executives should do their best to gain clarity around these issues as part of the larger conversation with their creative teams.

Accelerating progress with the assistive power of gen AI

Gen AI serves as a powerful toolkit, enhancing the efficiency, productivity, and creativity of content creators. In particular, gen AI can act as a powerful collaborator to help professionals maximize their creative skills while still delivering top-notch work. Gen AI tools can assist with various tasks, from generating content, images, and ideas to assisting with design, writing, personalization, and campaigns to summarizing data and automating administrative tasks. Using gen AI as a collaborative partner, creatives are now considering areas where they can reduce non-value or time-consuming manual tasks that take them away from the creative work that matters most. 

According to the Adobe survey, creative teams reported producing better content and increasing the quantity of their output with help from gen AI tools. AI agents and assistants, for instance, can help automate tasks, saving professionals time and allowing them to manage more projects, achieve better results, and broaden their creative capabilities.

Furthermore, gen AI facilitates rapid ideation, accelerating the initial design phase and making workflows more efficient through faster feedback and revision processes. For example, using gen AI to analyze scripts can simplify the discovery of promising stories, jump-start project development, and enhance communication among stakeholders. 

Some other key applications for assistive features enabled by gen AI include:

• Brainstorming: Gen AI tools can help discover and inspire key points for content inclusion. 

• Prototyping: Gen AI can help create initial design references, storyboards, and even generate multiple concepts and variations.

• Content production and environment design: Gen AI can help to produce environments and backgrounds for use in virtual production LED volumes or green screen stages.

• Summarization: Gen AI excels at automating summarization tasks, such as generating quick summaries of media and documents as well as transcribing meeting notes for later reference. 

• AI-powered search: Gen AI helps facilitate organizing and understanding large media archives through semantic search capabilities, making it easier for users to find and access information.

Gen AI solves for a wide variety of use cases, and advancements in AI capabilities are evolving at an unprecedented rate. At no other time in the history of production technologies has the landscape changed so rapidly and so profoundly. The pace of innovation requires a nimble and flexible approach to gen AI, enabling companies to adapt quickly to advancements and improve their ability to produce and distribute high-quality content at scale. 

This can be challenging in organizations where long testing and approval cycles for new technologies are the norm. Creatives, accustomed to tight deadlines and delivering exceptional results, understand the applications where gen AI can have the most impact and can help tremendously in the decision-making process — all while keeping the creative spark alive.

The elephant in the room: Removing the fear factor

With any new technology innovations in media and entertainment, there can be challenges and risks that cause decision-makers to be fearful of early adoption, and the liabilities media companies face when adopting gen AI are multifaceted. These include copyright uncertainty, the potential for deepfakes that can harm intellectual property, brand, or talent, and data security risks if sensitive information is entered into public AI tools. Broader cybersecurity risks also remain a concern, particularly in the event of a data breach of internal or partner services that may lack adequate insurance coverage. Additionally, organizations can face litigation if talent feels that AI use violates contractual agreements.

Executives and anyone using gen AI tools should thoroughly understand the copyright risks involved and the best practices to mitigate them. At Google Cloud, for example, we have built our approach to gen AI with enterprise-readiness at the core to provide reassurance and encourage AI experimentation. Our industry-first generative AI indemnification means we assume responsibility for any potential legal risks, protecting our customers from copyright challenges.

Our approach includes a two-pronged indemnity:

• Training data: Google provides a training data indemnity that covers allegations that Google's use of training data to create any generative models utilized by a generative AI service, infringes a third party’s intellectual property right.
• Generated output: The generated output indemnity applies to allegations that generated output infringes a third party’s intellectual property rights. However, customers also have a part to play and must responsibly use AI-generated content. For example, the indemnity only applies if users do not intentionally create or use generated output to infringe on others' rights, and use available tools to cite sources responsibly.

Google's ethical approach to gen AI includes a focus on bold innovation, responsible development, collaborative partnership, and risk management, as well as adhering to AI principles and a full-stack AI governance.

Establishing clear guidelines for fostering creative collaboration

To foster collaboration and ensure responsible AI use, establishing clear guidelines is essential. The media and entertainment industry presents unique challenges as it requires more clarity regarding which AI models or tools are acceptable for use. To this end, film and TV studios, visual effects (VFX) houses, production companies, and other industry groups are actively developing a clear set of criteria for production use. Google’s industry-leading AI Principles provide a good starting point for organizations to frame AI guidelines discussions.

According to our Responsible AI Progress Report, internal guidelines and governance are critical for managing AI development. Having a wide range of voices throughout the AI oversight process helps to ensure diversity in thought and professional experience. We also prioritize neutral and inclusive design principles to minimize unfair bias and have Prohibited Use Policies to help govern how people can engage with our AI models and features.

Customers also play a crucial role in the adoption of responsible AI practices by avoiding intentional infringement on the rights of others and using tools to cite sources in generated output. Google is committed to having an ongoing dialogue with customers about specific use cases that may need coverage and will continue to support customers in using their services safely and confidently.

Indemnification policies and adhering to strong AI principles can give organizations peace of mind, providing a responsible, innovative, collaborative, and ethical framework for AI success. From there, working with creatives to identify the AI tools best suited to serving their needs can ensure organizations make smart technology choices that align with their creative, ethical and business goals.

Getting started

To realize the amazing advantages of gen AI, C-suite executives should listen to creative teams to understand and utilize the true potential of this transformative technology. Engaging with content creators using gen AI in their daily work can shed light on concerns related to AI, such as ethical considerations, potential harm to brands, and difficulties in achieving desired results. Gen AI can make the impossible possible, and empowering your creatives to do great things with gen AI  can help to make this happen.

The gen AI landscape is rapidly evolving, with its capabilities becoming increasingly sophisticated. Consequently, integrating AI technologies into content strategies is no longer an option but a necessity to remain competitive. Organizations that overlook AI or misuse it due to misconceptions risk falling behind or limiting their ability to innovate. The development of gen AI tools has happened faster than any other technology in the media industry and progressive companies are finding ways to implement AI to outpace competitors. Traditional media companies historically tend to be slow to adopt new technologies, however gen AI can accelerate the process of implementing these new and powerful tools in a wide array of workflows throughout the organization. Harnessing gen AI can help artists, writers, and creators improve their productivity and creative processes, serving as a valuable assistant that bolsters — rather than replaces — human creativity.