Avid’s Kevin Riley has urged the industry to set aside concerns about artificial intelligence and to embrace the technology to discover where it can lead.  

“Don’t be afraid of this - we have to embrace it. While there is a lot of concern in the industry about jobs being lost because of AI, in my view jobs don’t go away, they just change,” said Riley, Chief Technology Officer and SVP of Technology & Innovation at Avid.  

IBC2023 Technologists issue call to action Embrace AI

(L-R): Tim Warren SVP, Innovation and Chief Cybersecurity Officer, Harmonic; Kevin Riley CTO and SVP of Technology & Innovation, Avid; Vince Silvestri VP, Software Systems, Evertz; Erik Ramberg VP, Business Development and Strategic Partners, MediaKind; Mandy Rutledge Worldwide Director, Media Partnerships, Microsoft 

He added: “The cloud was [similarly] viewed as a massive disruptor, but what has happened already is that there are a bunch of new jobs being created - and the same thing is going to happen with AI.”  

Evertz’s VP, Software Systems, Vince Silvestri called on the industry to engage with AI and innovate. “That is the opportunity here, and there will be fear and excitement. But what we want to do is talk to our customers and lift the whole industry to maximise our potential.”  

“Live media is the last place we have a shared experience globally. So it’s a call to action - we need the feedback, we need the ideas. And now that the technological blockers are gone, we have the tools to do it,” said Silvestri, speaking in a session on the IBC2023 Innovation Stage in Hall 3, moderated by Mandy Rutledge Worldwide Director, Media Partnerships, Microsoft.  

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The session ‘Powering Media Innovation: Microsoft and its partner landscape’, focusing on the importance of maximising the creative potential of new technology using Microsoft’s AI and cloud technology.  

Riley said: “At Avid as we have progressed our AI story, and the trust with Microsoft has been a huge advantage for us because people trust any new development because it is backed by Microsoft.” 

Silvestri echoed: “It’s the trust aspect with Microsoft. It’s a company which has a rich spirit of innovation and people who make a huge difference.”  

Tim Warren, SVP, Innovation and Chief Cybersecurity Officer, Harmonic, added: “We are early on in this process so what’s important is the velocity of innovation. Developing quickly and getting more done in less time maximises ROI. In reality, experimentation is key because we don’t know the answer yet.” 

Read more: IBC2023 Live Blog: All the news, launches and insight from the RAI Amsterdam 

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