SMPTE Releases Engineering Report on Artificial Intelligence and the Media

SMPTE, the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, in conjunction with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the Entertainment Technology Center (ETC), have released a comprehensive document on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its effect on the media. The document was the result of a task force on AI standards in media that began in 2020.

“When we started this project in 2020, many saw AI as technically challenging, risky, costly, and even scary,” said task force co-chair and AMD Fellow, Fred Walls. “Since then, it has become clearer that AI will transform the media industry from preproduction to distribution and consumption. This report is a great read for those looking to understand AI and how it is being deployed in media, as well as the important roles of standards and ethics.”

This report was created to provide media professionals with a background in both AI and Machine Learning (ML). It begins with a technical understanding of the two technologies followed by the effect they will likely have on the media landscape. The report then moves on to examine AI ethics and ends by discussing the role that standards can play in AI/ML’s future.

“I believe that AI will continue to see exponential growth and adoption throughout 2024,” said SMPTE President Renard T. Jenkins. “Therefore, it is imperative that we examine the overall impact that this technology can have in our industry. That is why the progressive thought leadership presented in this document is so important for us all.”

Drafting this report was a joint effort by SMPTE and the ETC with support from the EBU. Members and non-members of SMPTE can access the document for free on the SMPTE website.

Those interested in becoming part of the SMPTE Standards community can find more information here. Further information about SMPTE is online at smpte.org.

Further information about ETC is online at ETC (etcenter.org). Further information about EBU is online at www.ebu.ch/home.