Streamlining Content Workflows With AI
AI workflows are becoming an increasingly essential part of content management, workflows, and storage solutions.
At IBC 2024, leading media and technology experts gathered to explore how the global media industry is developing. As the usage of AI is growing and growing, it’s important to understand how it is transforming content management, workflows, and storage solutions.
One of this year’s panel discussions named “streamlining content management processes” focused on the challenges and opportunities that AI brings. The panelists discussed how ever-evolving AI affects media organizations as they navigate increasingly complex content ecosystems.
With decades of combined experience, the panelists shared insights on how AI-driven solutions are reshaping the industry, offering strategies to streamline processes, reduce costs, and enhance creativity.
In this article, we go through key insights from the discussion.
The transformation from analog to digital
For many in the media industry, the concept of workflows is nothing new. In fact, workflows have been the backbone of media production and distribution for decades.
The panelists explained how workflows have evolved since the early 2000s when the transition from tape to file-based systems began revolutionizing how media companies managed their content. Back then, organizations needed to manually duplicate tapes and create linear workflows that limited how quickly content could be processed and distributed.
The shift to digital file-based workflows opened the door to parallel workflows, allowing different teams to work on the same content simultaneously. This significantly reduced production times, enabling companies to launch new channels and projects in weeks instead of months.
This transition was a game-changer that allowed companies to rethink their organizational structure and streamline their workflows for faster, more efficient operations.
Yet, even as workflows became more efficient, the increasing volume of content created new challenges. Today’s media companies are not only managing larger quantities of content but also dealing with more complex formats and multiple output requirements.
It’s not just about managing the content itself anymore – it’s about managing the outputs that are being created for different platforms. In the past, content was distributed to a single television channel, but now it’s repurposed for video-on-demand (VOD), social media, websites, and other digital platforms. Each output needs to be carefully managed and linked back to the original content, creating a more intricate and multi-layered workflow.
Advanced content management solutions
In today’s media landscape, managing vast amounts of content stored across multiple locations—whether on-premises, in the cloud, or in other repositories like hybrid-cloud—presents significant challenges. To address this complexity, advanced content management solutions have been developed to make these processes more seamless for users, effectively hiding the underlying complexity.
A key challenge is enabling users to search, retrieve, and work with content efficiently, without needing to know where that content is stored. Rather than consolidating everything into a single location, which could create inefficiencies, modern solutions allow data to remain in its respective locations while providing a unified, seamless search and retrieval experience. This is achieved by integrating systems that facilitate interaction with the data, whether it resides in the cloud, on-premises, or elsewhere.
By connecting to the data and utilizing AI engines, organizations can streamline the discovery and retrieval of content from any repository, improving workflow efficiency. Assigning unique identifiers to assets and adopting location-agnostic content management solutions further enable companies to retrieve files without having to access high-resolution versions stored in the cloud, thereby minimizing expensive egress fees.
The truth is that companies are increasingly shifting to the cloud for their content management processes, driven by the need for greater scalability, flexibility, and cost efficiency.
However, moving data out of the cloud can be costly due to the varied pricing structures of cloud providers. This underscores the importance of selecting the right cloud platform for specific tasks. Organizations must carefully assess cloud providers based on their unique needs and business objectives, as different providers offer distinct architectures and pricing models.
AI to address challenges
The shift from physical storage to hybrid or fully cloud-based systems has made it easier for media companies to manage vast amounts of content. However, with the cloud comes new challenges, particularly in terms of cost. The cost of cloud storage – especially egress fees for moving data in and out of the cloud – can quickly become prohibitive.
This underscores the importance of selecting the right cloud platform for specific tasks.
Media companies need to carefully evaluate their storage strategies, taking into consideration both the short-term and long-term storage needs of their content. For high-volume, high-resolution content like live sports, keeping the data close to the source makes sense.
However, older archives that are rarely accessed, such as footage from the 1960s, may be better suited for long-term storage solutions like Media Pocket. The key is to balance the need for accessibility with the cost of storage.
In the past, media companies relied on manual tagging and metadata creation to organize their content libraries. This process was not only slow but also prone to human error. To address these challenges, many organizations are turning to AI-powered solutions.
One of the most exciting aspects of AI is its ability to automate tasks that were once time-consuming and labor-intensive. The panelists explained how AI is being used to streamline the process of content ingestion, tagging, and categorization. This not only reduces egress costs but also speeds up workflows by making content more easily accessible.
AI workflows to streamline everything
With AI, media companies can now automate these tasks, allowing the technology to analyze content, identify objects, and generate detailed metadata. This makes it easier for teams to search for and discover content, ultimately improving the speed and efficiency of their workflows.
For example, AI can be used to automatically generate metadata for sports events, tagging moments like goals, fouls, or crowd reactions. This level of automation frees up staff to focus on more creative and strategic tasks, such as content production and storytelling.
For example, AI can analyze hours of video footage and automatically generate a highlight reel or create a one-minute clip of a celebrity appearance. This not only saves time but also allows media companies to repurpose content more effectively, maximizing the value of their assets.
Generative AI is also transforming content management. With generative AI, media companies can go beyond basic tagging and categorization to create entirely new content from existing assets.
AI-driven asset management
As AI continues to evolve, the panelists agreed that it will play an increasingly important role in media workflows.
In the near future and to put it a little philosophically, media asset management (MAM) and digital asset management (DAM) systems will focus less on the systems themselves and more on the content they manage.
The panelists envision a future where AI will allow media companies to interact with their assets in new and innovative ways, enabling more efficient workflows and creative possibilities.
One particularly intriguing possibility is the use of AI to bring historical figures to life in interviews. The panelists suggested that in the future, AI could analyze existing footage and audio recordings of someone like Steve Jobs, creating a virtual interview with the tech icon. This kind of AI-driven content creation would open up new opportunities for media companies to engage audiences and repurpose their archives in exciting ways.
AI will also help organizations manage the increasing complexity of their workflows. As content continues to proliferate across platforms, AI can help media companies keep track of where their assets are stored, how they are being used, and what outputs are being created.
By automating these processes, AI allows companies to focus on what really matters: creating high-quality content and telling compelling stories.
Human workflows and AI workflows in collaboration
While AI is poised to revolutionize media workflows, the panelists were quick to point out that it is not a replacement for human creativity. Media is a people industry, built on the fundamental human need for storytelling. AI can handle the technical aspects of content management, but it is up to human creators to craft the stories that resonate with audiences.
One of the key challenges in adopting AI is managing the human side of change. People are naturally resistant to change, especially when it involves new technology that may seem threatening to their jobs.
The key to overcoming this resistance is communication. Organizations need to clearly explain the benefits of AI, emphasizing how it will make employees’ jobs easier, not replace them. By involving staff in the process and making them part of the change, companies can ensure a smooth transition to AI-powered workflows.
AI will allow media companies to automate mundane tasks, freeing up employees to focus on more creative and strategic work. Rather than replacing workers, AI will create opportunities for innovation and growth, allowing media companies to push the boundaries of what is possible.
Future of AI and content workflows
As the panelists looked to the future, they expressed optimism about the continued evolution of AI in media workflows. They predicted that AI will break down the barriers between different systems, allowing media companies to manage their assets more seamlessly across platforms. They also suggested that AI will enable real-time interactions with media assets, allowing companies to create on-demand content in ways that were previously unimaginable.
The media industry is fundamentally about storytelling. With AI’s help, content creators can focus on what they do best – telling compelling stories – while AI handles the technical aspects of content management.
And that’s what we are for. We provide all the technology you need to make your stories fly! Contact us and we’ll tell you how.
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