The BBC has published a report it commissioned into the use of AI in the media which found that the public are uneasy about using generative AI to create video content entirely.
The report, based on in-depth interviews with more than 150 people across the UK, US and Australia, found that while people are open to technology being used to speed up video production and personalise content, they don't want it to take away from human creativity.
Personalized trailers and summaries were considered “low risk” as long as they stayed true to the content being promoted, as well as personalized recommendations and avatars for use in video content, as is already the case in gaming.
Meanwhile, “medium stakes” issues include the use of GenAI to replace actors or change the age, gender, or ethnicity of characters, as audiences “need assurances that human skill and creativity will be respected to feel safe,” as this could undermine producers' and directors' decisions regarding casting and story development. Respondents were also divided on its use in editing and non-hero VFX, fearing job losses. In terms of idea generation, people are open to using generative AI as inspiration, more so for content such as reality TV, and less so for dramas and films.
Finally, “high risk” uses that audiences were particularly concerned about and less willing to embrace included using generative AI in story and script writing, and in show production and direction. This was particularly strong in film and TV, which are more open to its use in digital content. Participants were most worried about generative AI being used to “create lifelike actors, presenters and news anchors that look human.”
In general, interviewees were most positive about using generative AI in audio, less positive about its use in video, and especially concerned about its use in news content.
Announcing the report, Peter Archer, the BBC's programme director for generative AI, wrote: “This new report helps us understand how audiences view the use of Gen AI in media, but it's important to note that it's not a roadmap for future developments. It does not take into account the views of other communities, such as creative talent and production teams, whose views are crucial to how media organisations use GenAI. It also does not take into account the technology itself, including issues of accuracy and the inaccurate or misleading results (hallucinations) that AI models may produce.”
“Many of the issues highlighted in the report are not specific to the BBC, which is why it is important that we engage with our colleagues across the media industry to discuss the opportunities and challenges of GenAI.”
“There's also the simple fact that this is new territory for all of us, and as GenAI's potential is better understood and its use becomes more commonplace, many people's views will likely evolve. We will carefully consider what our audience told us and use that as one piece of information to shape further experiments.”
