The question of how AI will impact the creative sector and what it means for people in training has been one of the most hotly debated topics this year. A few months ago, we reported on a survey about how Hollywood bosses expect his AI to impact their HR needs. Now, design software giant Autodesk has dug deeper into its latest report on the state of the industry.
Autodesk's 2024 State of Design and Make report is based on a survey of 5,399 business leaders across sectors, from media and entertainment to construction services and industrial machinery, to explore business resiliency, talent, and sustainability. Statistics have been published. And his insight into attitudes towards AI is one of his highlights.
The report surveyed 2,002 people in architectural engineering and construction, 1,787 in design and manufacturing, and 1,579 in media and entertainment (42% in advertising, publishing, graphic design, 30% in film, 28%). Although AI is still an emerging technology, 56% say they are close to or have already adopted AI. Many more expect AI to enhance the industry and become “indispensable across the board.”
And industry leaders seem optimistic. The majority (78%) expressed confidence that their company will make the right decisions regarding AI and that AI will enhance their industry. Additionally, 79% believe AI will make their industry more creative, and 66% believe AI will become essential overall within the next three years.
Most dramatic was the finding that industry leaders ranked the ability to deploy AI tools, or “work with AI,” as the most important skill for the future across industries. It was ranked as a top skill in architecture and construction, design and manufacturing, games and advertising, and publishing and graphic design. In the film category, it was ranked third after digital skills and data analysis.
Ji-Woong Hon, executive vice president of BF Production at mobile and online game development company COM2US, said, “The ability to manipulate and leverage AI will be critical in the future, whether it's for art, development, or game planning.” “It's a great skill set.” he told Autodesk. “In addition, technical artists and data scientists who can use AI models to predict the viability of different business models will also be valuable resources.”
More generally, media and entertainment leaders tended to agree that digital skills and a willingness to engage in self-directed learning will be essential in the future. Gaspard Roche, associate global head of characters at visual effects post-production and animation company Miklos Animation, said: “Flexibility is a skill I've always valued. When we needed more artists in other departments, we were able to shift people if they could work in another area. The great thing about the flexibility is that you get to learn about other aspects of business and workflow, which allows you to improve your core skill set.”
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Opinions regarding the destabilizing effects of AI were fairly evenly divided. 16% strongly agree and 16% strongly disagree that AI is a threat, while 25% somewhat agree and 24% somewhat disagree. Overall, the survey found trust in AI to be “very high”, with 76% of respondents saying they trust the technology in their industry. But interviews with business leaders and experts also raised some cautious skepticism. Some have noted that existing AI tools often present errors as fact, and have expressed doubts about whether companies can trust the technology enough to approve important deliverables.
Some believe that levels of optimism will decline if bad actors exploit the technology. “We haven’t yet seen a case where AI has done something truly bad,” said Severin Tenim, director of strategic projects and development at ALEC Engineering & Contracting, a leading Tier 1 construction and contracting company. “If we see more events where AI negatively impacts society and more malicious uses of AI, I think the trust level will go down.”
The most commonly cited use cases for AI today are improving productivity and automating routine, repetitive tasks. Ji-Woong Hon said: “We are testing different options for AI and ML and applying them in our daily work. For example, AI technology is used to create conceptual art and set the direction for new games. , for faster results.
As for Autodesk's own tools, the company says the beta version of its Maya automation tool, which helps artists manage scene data, has seen a 60% increase in the number of users interested in the beta in just a few months. . This is an unprecedented surge in the company's beta release history.
And while much of the talk about AI in the design and manufacturing industries centers around generative design, companies are also exploring use cases to streamline or enhance back-office processes. “AI has so many facets. Cybersecurity vendors are incorporating AI into network security. Does that count as a creative company leveraging AI? Using this to protect systems? We're not using it to create images. We're already hearing clients say, 'You can't use AI unless you tell us.'” – Chief of animation and VFX studio Axis Studios. David Spilsbury, Technical Director
The study also focuses on digital maturity issues. It turns out that his digitally mature M&E company is far ahead of its peers when it comes to “practices that are key to success in this space.” His 66% of M&E respondents said their company was digitally mature.
The main aspects highlighted were cloud connectivity for collaboration and investments in back-end computing infrastructure to power advanced work in areas such as visual effects. Marion Guignol, lead technical design animator at Gearbox Studio Québec, said companies must balance the pressure to respond quickly with the need to carefully evaluate new tools.
“It's really important to stay up to date with what's going on in the world of technology, because it changes every day and there's always something new,” says Guignol. What's in your field and what's not? If you stay in your comfort zone, you will be left behind. ”
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