New for IBC2024, the AI Tech Zone, powered by the EBU, will bring together some of the most advanced technologies and visionary thinkers in what Hans Hoffman, Head of Media Fundamentals and Production at the EBU, says is a must-attend show feature
AI is undoubtedly one of the most talked about technologies across the media & entertainment space. With solutions available that can impact the entire sector, from production workflows to audience engagement, AI’s influence is only just beginning to be felt as we move beyond the hype stage and into genuine applications. As Hoffman says, the question now is what value does AI bring?
“We had this generative AI hype, which started a year or two ago, and we basically saw the influx of all the possibilities and numerous big players as well as many start-up companies. Now we are reaching a level where we are asking the industry, but also asking ourselves, what is the consequence in operation? How can we now apply, whether it’s generative AI or machine learning AI, how can we apply it in such a form, in practical applications in the workflow, so public service media operators or any broadcasters or media organisations, so that it generates value?”
This value can take multiple forms, be that automation, efficiency improvements, more content or better experiences for the audience.
“The question now is, what value do we concretely generate? We have hundreds of possibilities, but what is really adding value? This is what we are evaluating at this point of time together with many industry partners,” he adds.
This ability to genuinely evaluate the value of AI tools is a key aspect of the AI Tech Zone, where visitors will be able to experience demos from a variety of companies as well as from users, along with a host of conference and panel sessions sharing the insights and experiences of those active in the sector.
Hoffman adds: “You will see a couple of wonderful presentations on the panels from public service media companies, but also the EBU will be talking about regulation and the work that we do. I think it will be a crowded community place, it will be an absolutely crowded community place, so I advise visitors to IBC take your time when you come to the Tech Zone and you will be surprised by the many things that you will see and hear.”
The ethics of AI will also be addressed, with a presentation from a member of the EBU’s legal department.
“You will hear a firm opinion about what public service media organisations believe is important in terms of ethical considerations and the ethical usage of AI in public service media environments,” he continues. “You can imagine that AI for PSM is seen as a super-important topic, but also many broadcasters look at it with a high attention. Just imagine how important it is that the news that we bring out every day is compliant with ethical considerations; you cannot afford a mistake by publishing fake information or something like that. We need to be 100% sure about what we do.
“What you will also see very soon is a statement from the EBU coming out probably by the time of IBC around content authentication activities, what the industry are taking without quoting a particular standard as we are neutral on this. Nevertheless, the technologies which are there are important, we need to embrace them, we need to work on open standards and, by IBC, you will hear a little bit more from us on this.”
With so much going on in the AI Tech Zone, Hoffman is clear that all visitors will find value by visiting the space in Hall 14.
“Anyone who wants to have a say, who wants to learn, who is interested”, should visit the Zone, he says. “I believe it is the C-level, it is also senior management, expert level, the whole plethora of functions that we see for either industrial or media organisations, they all will get value out of coming by the AI Tech Zone. We have designed the zone in such a form that it has value for everybody be it a researcher - you will find in depth knowledge about projects; if you are a user, you will see the application of AI and the potential that it has; if you are more on the regulatory side, there is, of course, the talk about regulations. So it provides value for all the different aspects and functions that we will find in an organisation. That’s the beauty of this year’s AI Tech Zone, it has something for everybody.”
The AI Tech Zone will be situated in Hall 14 at IBC2024. Exhibitors include Wasabi Technologies, VionLabs, The Weather Company, AI4ME, Zaibr, Video.Taxi, MobiusLabs, Magnifi, AudioShake, Videolinq.ai and DOT Group.
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