We are not alone anymore: Artificial intelligence has evolved into a serious factor. But what about video tech? We explain how AV and AI fit together.
Two weeks ago, we discussed future trends, and among the usual hardware topics, artificial intelligence stood out as a subject that will significantly shape the future and deserves closer examination.
Those who pay attention have surely heard of AI technologies like ChatGPT, which have been causing quite a stir since 2022. The potential of these technologies is difficult to estimate but extends far beyond text-based solutions to include AI-generated images and videos. Some are already speculating about AI-created feature films and their influence on the media landscape.
AI is also expected to play a major role in less visible areas, from control and automation to the autonomy of certain aspects of our lives. The technology promises to fundamentally change our world, with seemingly unlimited possibilities in many areas – including video and presentation technology.
Results you can see
Possibilities are practically unlimited, so where could AI start in AV? Let’s begin with the end product of every video installation, the image: Content could be quickly and automatically generated with just a few instructions and parameters in any desired resolution. Imagine an immersive exhibition of a historical artist, where artificial intelligence is fed with their works and creates exciting and dynamic visuals for 4K projections.
Speaking of projection: Mapping is an interesting approach for AI. There are already attempts to film structures that are supposed to be mapped and feed them into an AI system, which then automatically creates a suitable mapping projection. The otherwise laborious design process of such an installation would be completed within seconds.
The impact of artificial intelligence doesn’t necessarily have to be immediately visible in the foreground, though – AI can also control and supervise systems and structures in the background. Digital signage would be an example: Such an intelligent system could observe certain public areas and evaluate the people present by gender, appearance, age, and even emotion. With this demographic data, the system can promptly adapt the content shown in this area and display the most relevant information for the respective demographics.
Devices that work on their own
Some of the previous ideas involve cameras. These can do much more here: An AI could, for example, evaluate the image captured by a camera in real-time and, if it’s a movable camera, focus on and track a specific object or person on its own. Such automated camera movements would be valuable assistance in studio productions or sports broadcasts, for instance, if a camera were set on each player in a football match and would follow them throughout the entire game.
Intelligent controls could also positively affect the longevity of devices by adjusting them to their respective environment during operation. If they’re running in an outdoor installation, for example, the brightness of projectors, displays, and LEDs could be automatically adjusted depending on how bright or dark it is. The ambient temperature could also be detected, and any ventilation and cooling could be aligned accordingly, without having to run at full power continuously.
Shorter times, better workflow
Intelligent systems can be used before the actual operation as well. For instance, during the setup of an installation: With an LED wall, an AI could take over edge adjusting and independently set and adjust the image; with projection, this can happen during soft edge blending. Artificial intelligence could detect inaccuracies in the image in many situations and either fix them itself or at least point them out – perhaps even during maintenance and repair: With AI, pixel errors and other image defects could be quickly detected, drastically reducing maintenance times.
AI should also be an exciting approach for the drone sector: From autonomous control and intelligent pathfinding of individual drones to a kind of swarm intelligence for coordinating drones with each other, to dynamically generated choreographies, there’s a lot of potential in the interplay of show drones and AI-supported systems.
What is possible? Almost anything
While many of these examples are still a distant dream in the future, some are already being applied or at least tested. And these are just instances that are readily graspable – in a few weeks, months, years, and with a lot of inventiveness, it’s unimaginable how artificial intelligence will shape the AV industry and beyond that, the whole world.
AI is here to stay – whether one views the development optimistically or pessimistically. Therefore, the opportunities that continue to open up with the ever-advancing technology should be seized. In an industry characterised by innovation and curiosity, the use of artificial intelligence is ultimately self-evident.