NAB Show Perspectives: Machine learning vs. AI vs. we the people

A decade ago, AI was the new buzz word and was very thought provoking. AI was the new shiny toy on the shelf.

Without question, conversations surrounding AI introduced speculation and intrigue as to how this innovative technology could be used across the Media Entertainment landscape.

The first iterations of AI produced data sets providing additional information tied to content and was mostly used in search and identifying things in content. Search being a key aspect of workflows tied to media archives was hugely important…led by conversations surrounding monetization and what could be revealed in those archives. In truth, the lure of AI was merely machine learning. To produce an effective technology that could be applied to practical applications, models needed to be built and fed by humans producing indexes that could be of value.

The idea of building an index was key in discovering the unknown. Enter the classification of AI being a “nice to have.”

It’s great to have data, but how is it used and what can be done with it? There were also conversations surrounding management of algorithms, deployment, cloud infrastructure, and overall costs tied to AI. If indexes are valuable and need to be created, more infrastructure will be required to enable harvesting of content which equates to more compute in the cloud, not to mention the costs of moving assets in and out of cloud.

Here we are years later, and the topic of AI is still at the forefront of many discussions.

However, the discussions are more practical in its usage. How does one use AI and Machine learning to better enhance user experiences? This year’s HPA Tech Retreat revealed how AI could be used in workflows for Television and Film production along with a look into how this affects humans. The inception of AI caused many to believe that its primary objective was to drive down costs by eliminating jobs that humans occupied with claims of efficiency. However, during the evolution of the topic over the past few years, AI is being pushed as a technology that can empower humans, though some questioned whether AI, formerly known as the coined term for Machine Learning, was actually and truly now AI.

Based on the number of conversations I’ve had; the consensus is yes!

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AI empowering humans is what will drive efficiency in the Media Entertainment landscape. True efficiency will be derived not from eliminating humans but via the creation of more automated workflows that allow humans to focus on more important tasks. This is not a case of do more with less… rather, do more with more.

If the average employee could spend 80% of their time on tasks that actually impact the business, instead of 60% on tasks that push into the next workday, workers can become more efficient, and business can begin to take on more work with higher output. This is where efficiency will live and will be important to content workflows, live broadcast, streaming platforms, and FAST channels. Now the questions arise: how are AI and the data sets produced presented to the end-users? How does a company make seemingly difficult workflows make sense to the people using them? How can you deploy faster when you don’t have technical resources or familiarity with cloud? Moreover, who will manage change requests and the evolving technology updates?

TMT Insights offers a suite of solutions that can help businesses navigate the landscape. With offerings that provide visibility into workflows based on business rules and requirements spanning multiple business units, TMT can shine a light on automation and give the power back to the end-users. TMT can also help businesses realize their potential through consultation and moreover, help businesses thrive without worrying about how they are going to manage solutions and the technology they encompass.

I am particularly excited to talk about how TMT can help companies with visibility into their workflows via a “single pane of glass” and how we engage in new partnerships with tech companies developing solutions that help drive efficiency. I’m also excited to see more solutions from companies leveraging AI and what impact they will have on automation tied to supply chain at NAB 2025.

Gregory Cox, TMT InsightsGregory Cox is a VP of sales and business development for the Americas at TMT Insights. As a leading industry executive, Greg brings over 20 years of experience in Media & Entertainment solutioning, working with top clients across studios, broadcasting, streaming platforms and technology companies. He offers extensive expertise in delivering scalable business solutions focused on driving operational efficiency, reducing costs, and delivering clear paths to achieve success. Throughout his career, he has worked with well-known companies such as Deluxe, Codemill and ThinkAnalytics.