TV Production With AI: Both Limiting And Liberating
I was knee-deep in an Ideasicle X project for a major retailer—can't name names—teaming up four of our human Ideasicle Experts to brainstorm social media video concepts. The twist? Approved ideas would get produced entirely by AI. So, we had to bake in AI's production quirks right from the idea stage. But I had an epiphany I’d like to share with you, and it hit me while prepping the creative presentation of our 11 top concepts. That is, AI as a production tool is both creatively limiting and liberating. Let me unpack this.
The Limits: When AI Stumbles On The Details
AI isn't perfect yet. Take video: character consistency is a nightmare. Your hero might morph faces mid-scene, like a dream sequence gone horribly wrong.
Then there's nailing exact details. For our retailer gig, staging inside a store? AI might botch brand colors, misspell signs, or plop wrong products on shelves. Familiar elements demand precision, and AI often fumbles, forcing endless tweaks, expensive retouching or outright scraps.
Other headaches? Subtle human emotions or nuanced performances—AI-generated actors can feel flat, soulless, and uncanny-valley creepy. And forget complex interactions; physics might glitch in ways that scream "fake."
If your idea hinges on hyper-specific products, features, or exact locations, AI production generally fails, making the process frustrating and time-sucking despite the hype.
The Liberation: When AI Defies physics
Flip the script, though, and AI shines. Physics-defying stunts? Piece of cake. In fact, a piece of cake on top of a dolphin’s head as it sings “Be Bop A Lula” to the New York Rangers, no prob. Want a car somersaulting through clouds or a that same car morphing into a dragon? AI laughs in the face of physics, all without crews, sets, or permits.
Here’s a real prompt I input to Google Gemini Veo 2: A piece of cake on top of a dolphins head as he sings “Be Bop A Lula” to the New York Rangers. And here’s what it came back with:
A dolphin with a cake on its head sings to the New York Rangers.
Admittedly not the latest and greatest in AI video generation, but it still makes the point. There is no actual singing and there are no New York Rangers, but it’s pretty clearly some sort of sports stadium. And definitely a dolphin singing something with a cake on its head (and a hat on top of that the AI decided to add). Is that close enough creatively? That’s up to you.
The point is, it might not match your vision exactly, but often it's close enough—or weirdly better, sparking fresh nuances. And the cost? Pennies compared to traditional shoots. We're talking way cheaper, faster iterations that let wild ideas fly without budget blowouts.
For mind-bending concepts unbound by reality, AI isn't just viable—it's superior. It democratizes the impossible, turning "WTF" into "done" overnight.
The Sweet Spot: Matching Idea To Tool
Here's the key for us at Ideasicle X: Know when to lean in. Specific, grounded ideas? Stick to human production for now. Fantastical ones? Unleash AI and watch your creativity explode. I’m happy to say, this duality keeps us ahead in the AI advertising era, blending human spark with machine production muscle.
Now, we have to assume AI will nail 100% video precision someday—exact details, flawless consistency, no more caveats. But until then? I'll gladly embrace the liberation it's already unleashing. It's not just changing how we produce; it's redefining what we dare to imagine.
Imagine that.
Will Burns is the Founder & CEO of the revolutionary virtual-idea-generating company, Ideasicle X. He’s an advertising veteran from such agencies as Wieden & Kennedy, Goodby Silverstein, Arnold Worldwide, and Mullen. He was a Forbes Contributor for nine years writing about creativity in modern branding. Sign up for the Ideasicle Newsletter and never miss a post like this. Will’s bio.