Last Thursday, Wibbitz joined forces with Vidrovr to host a panel on AI – specifically, how it’s being used by businesses to solve the many needs surrounding video. We spoke with industry leaders at NYC Media Labs, Dow Jones, Comscore and BET to learn how AI, Automation & ML are being leveraged within their own teams, and got their predictions around how these technologies will be used to support businesses’ video strategies in the near future. You can get inspired with these concepts with an AI video creator or an AI video generator to improve your own video strategy. Watch the full recording below, then read on for some of our favorite takeaways from the panel: 

1. The process of how we make and distribute content can be just as important than the content itself

Distribution of content has changed so much over the years; with tech enabling nearly any piece of content to be delivered at a moment’s notice, audiences (understandably) expect to receive content in a way that doesn’t waste their time. Think about Comcast & Netflix – Comcast definitely wins the award for the highest volume of content to absorb, but Netflix’s distribution strategy of streaming directly to viewers whenever & wherever gives them an incredibly higher advantage over Comcast. Automation, and specifically automated video creation, can help you figure out the best ways to distribute and time content to maximize your audience.

2. Don’t get locked into a single social channel!

While most content creators are currently dependent on a few major social platforms, at the rate technology is evolving, there’s going to be another platform (or two) in the next 5 years that may take their place. Tech moves fast, and trying to specialize in creation for a specific platform is a recipe for disaster. By the time your team is able to master content creation on a specific platform, your younger and more tech-savvy audiences will have already moved on. Rather than creating for a platform, it’s best to scale your content to market across multiple platforms, present and future. With the help of automation, you can scale content quickly for any platform without sacrificing quality.

3. There’s a big gap in the market for news catered towards Gen-Z

Sure, there have been news outlets working with platforms Snapchat to cast a wider net over younger audiences, however, the market still remains unaddressed. The Gen-Z market is still fertile ground for publishers, it’s just a matter of figuring out how exactly to cater to and maintain younger audiences. From our research, we found that video content consistently received higher engagement from Gen-Z’ers than text-based articles, so it’s critical for any publisher looking to reach these influential young audiences to build a video-heavy content strategy.

4. Full-fledged armies aren’t required to make great content

Gone are the days where a single video required hiring a professional outside the company; automation allows for great content to be produced in-house. Budgets are tight, and it’s important to optimize costs and time however necessary. The ability to scale content with AI is a great way to differentiate yourself from other teams, all while having a consistent quality to what you make. Your content strategy (and your budget!) will thank you for it.

I wouldn’t bring an army of editors just to make [content] for the night – there would be a decision where we would say ‘Instagram [content] will just have to come tomorrow’, but now we can do it all.”
– Ken Gibbs, VP, Digital Video & Social Content at BET

5. With new tech, there are always new jobs to support it

The advent of newer tech always comes with the fear of mass job loss. It’s understandable – many times these innovations completely automate specific tasks. But that’s it. Jobs are comprised of many different tasks, and automation specifically can compliment some of the regimented tasks, increase output, and lead to an increased demand for more work. Think about it this way: ATMs didn’t replace banks – in fact, they were able to lower the cost of operating a branch and led to more banks being built. The concerns of tech replacing people have gone on since the invention of textile machines, all resulting in the need for larger teams. With that in mind, companies shouldn’t shy away from technological innovation; if anything, it can lead to even higher-level talent.