Animation and Artificial Intelligence – The rise of artificial intelligence, or AI, has been in the forefront of many people’s minds recently, sparking debate within digitally based fields such as video production and animation. Many people wonder what the ramifications will be for this technology in the coming years and how it will shape our society through the jobs that are available, the content that is created, and the way that we do business. And, while there are certainly elements of artificial intelligence that might cause some individuals to worry, Pushed wanted to take the time to offer some insight about the technology, as well as clear up some questions that our clients might have regarding AI and the content creation process.
What is artificial intelligence?
One of the most important things to remember is that artificial intelligence is not a new innovation and we have been using iterations of such software throughout our digital lives for a very long time—in fact, you probably interact with artificial intelligence on a daily basis! Some examples of artificial intelligence common throughout our everyday interactions include spell checking software, Google search, facial detection software, navigation software, virtual assistants such as Siri and Alexa, and smart home devices. Artificial intelligence has even been built into many of the apps that we use every single day as a way to optimise your experience. In short, AI is anything that is done by technology instead of a human brain, which typically makes our interactions and connectivity faster and easier to carry out effectively.
Implications for AI and digital content creation
Although the release of platforms such as ChatGPT has sparked discussions centred around the misuse of AI, artificial intelligence can actually be a very powerful tool when harnessed alongside human ingenuity, talents, and creativity. For example, the process of animation involves an incredible amount of time being spent on very small details to create the finished product. By handing off repetitive, less skilled tasks to artificial intelligence, animators can save enormous amounts of time and money. This automation of certain tasks makes the animation process much more cost-effective for the clients, while allowing the creators to focus on the creative, strategic, and highly skilled aspects of their job—resulting in an even more sophisticated finished product. Additionally, AI can be used to take much of the guesswork out of the tracking of consumer patterns and behaviours, allowing your content to be created in a manner that is much more effective and can be directly targeted to your audience. Content can also be enhanced by artificial intelligence to be offered in multiple languages and formats, increasing your reach exponentially.
At Pushed, we embrace and discover new technological advances in order to create videos and content for our clients that are eye-catching and innovative. We do this by partnering our human creativity with technological assistance in a process that humans have been doing for decades. For example, the invention of the camera phone readily available on everyone’s devices did not replace the jobs of professional photographers, and the prevalence of ultra-powerful calculators did not render mathematicians useless. If anything, such advances only promoted and enhanced the work already being done by professionals, in a similar way to artificial intelligence within the digital animation and content creation world.
Creative companies use creative human minds to create content to engage their target audience. The “human touch” is evident in such products as, when done effectively, they provoke human intuition, connection, and emotional understanding. Artificial intelligence in these areas is a valuable, powerful tool that provides assistance, and is NOT a replacement, as AI is unable to replace the value that individuals bring to their jobs every single day.
