A central question facing all media industries is what role generative AI should play in content creation. But business decisions about the use of AI are not divorced from public opinion. As generative AI begins to enter aspects of content creation, media industry leaders, producers, and creatives increasingly need to understand how their audiences will respond to the use of generative AI in the content they consume.
in AI and media: audience attitudesLuminate Intelligence examines the latest Luminate US Entertainment 365 survey data to assess consumers’ own usage of AI applications and whether and how the explicit use of AI in the creative process of songs, movies, and TV shows impacts consumer receptivity and willingness to engage.
Overall, consumer attitudes are mixed. Consumers are becoming more cautious rather than willing to engage with AI-powered media content, although some surveyed are ambivalent about whether AI was used in its creation.
Views are fairly consistent across different media types. Still, consumers are most opposed to reading news written by generational AI. Consumers are most likely to be ambivalent about playing video games containing AI assets: 40% are more or less interested in playing video games that include AI-created characters, environments, and dialogue, compared to about a third who are ambivalent about the use of AI as specified in other media.
Net interest in engaging with AI-assisted content (high interest minus low interest) varies significantly by age. Media consumers over 55 are the most negative about engaging with AI-assisted content, and this applies to movies, TV shows, music, social media, and video games. In contrast, the 13-17 year old cohort is net positive across all media types.
The most obvious rift appears among young people. There was a 58-point difference in AI-scripted movies and TV, as well as AI-generated social media content, and the positive opinion among 13- to 17-year-olds is especially striking given the severe disconnect between 18- to 24-year-olds. Meanwhile, older cohorts across Gen Z, Millennials and Gen X tend to be more moderate, with views hovering around the break-even point.
At the very least, this suggests that it would be a mistake to view Gen Z’s attitudes toward AI content as monolithic, and understanding the fault lines within the generation may become increasingly important.
