Fox CTO calls on entertainment to see themselves as “peers to Big Tech.”

Hollywood studios need to approach artificial intelligence as “peers” rather than subordinates of Big Tech, Fox Chief Technology Officer Melody Hildebrandt said Tuesday at TheGrill conference. “There are incredible opportunities, but I think we really need to think of ourselves as equal partners with Big Tech in taking advantage of those opportunities,” she said.

Hildebrandt spoke on TheGrill panel “The Next Frontier: How AI Is Reshaping the Studio System” alongside Yves Bergquist, director of AI and neuroscience in media at USC’s Entertainment Technology Center.

Hildebrandt expressed his strong belief in the usefulness of AI, but noted that the entertainment industry cannot only create content that will be absorbed by AI.

“There is a real risk if, again, we become just input,” Hildebrandt said. “And I think we’ve been through this rodeo a little bit with technology where we take a short-term view, and we really need to take a long-term view and participate as shareholders in exploiting the technology in a fair way with the right ones Avoid guardrails.”

Bergquist explained how AI is already integrated into film production far beyond just effects. He shared that a studio executive recently told him and others, “There isn’t a single recording this studio has made that hasn’t been influenced by AI in one way or another.”

Hildebrandt sees a future in the industry where entertainment producers go on the offensive and use AI to expand their own capabilities and remain competitive in the larger market.

“I think we should start using the technologies ourselves and experiment,” said Hildebrandt. She noted that Fox has already deployed applications of AI that she believes “will actually allow us to be competitive and improve our storytelling, expand our content packages, increase the productivity of our employees and their capabilities.” “.

Hildebrandt shared how AI is being quietly spread across projects in ways many viewers have no idea about, including on Fox’s sports coverage. Hildebrandt also noted that Fox has promoted the use of AI by its employees across the company in everyday activities, citing as an example an employee who used ChatGPT’s customization options to improve a significant portion of her workflow when working with metadata one to automate variety of systems.

Hildebrandt also wants a defensive approach to the way AI companies have tried to seize content without permission, noting that studios are starting to license content to AI technology companies. Although she believes there are “real opportunities,” she added: “I think we need to make sure that we are shareholders in this and then make sure that there is a new norm for the way that models to be built, should be established.” trained in terms of content.”

She examined how AI could change who creates the entertainment projects of the future, pointing out how AI tools could be used by people who have started publishing short-form content on platforms like YouTube and TikTok – and how they are generative of it Tools could be used to create an entire film on a small budget, supported by a company like Fox.

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