How artificial intelligence is subtly infecting everything I watch on streaming services

If you’re like me, you’ve probably been scrolling through Netflix to see that it seems to know you better than you do. It’s actually because of AI, and it’s another example of how this technology is seeping into everything we watch.

The role of AI in content management

Underpinning the list of recommended streaming services is an algorithm that uses AI to analyze everything from our viewing habits and preferences to the time of day we prefer to watch certain shows.

These algorithms process countless data points every minute, taking into account everything from what we rated favorably or unfavorably to the genres we binged the most. They then use this information to create personalized designs that reflect each of our unique tastes.

By predicting what we might want to watch next, AI will not only save us endless scrolling, but also diversify our viewing experience – encouraging personalized genre exploration while steering us away from things it thinks we don’t want to watch.

Of course, the impact of artificial intelligence is not just about convenience; it also affects our overeating habits. By creating playlists that are easy to get stuck into and highlighting exclusive releases, AI taps into our psychology and often prompts us to marathon content. This means longer playtime and higher viewership numbers for the streaming service.

Beyond Recommendations: AI in content creation

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Beyond just content curation, AI is also used in creative practices, such as using ChatGPT to write scripts. Tools are being developed every day to help writers generate everything from dialogue drafts to plot ideas. While AI isn’t replacing creative minds (and hopefully never will), it’s starting to be used as a tool that allows writers to explore new narrative avenues.

The advent of AI-generated content is not far behind, and I find the idea of ​​completely generated shows both interesting and a little scary. We could see everything from digital characters created and animated using machine learning, as seen in virtual influencers and deepfake technology. These innovations challenge the traditional boundaries of storytelling and open up new ways for creators to get their stories out there.

But that’s the point. By analyzing all these data sets, AI can predict popular trends and suggest topics or elements that are likely to engage the audience. While this allows creators to fine-tune their scripts, casts and marketing strategies, it also means that popularity wins.

Think of it this way: once Marvel became popular, we saw an explosion of superhero movies. Or think about how after the Harry Potter series came out we saw more “ten oriented” series against them like Hunger Games and Divergent. If the AI ​​notices the popularity of a certain genre, it will recommend more specifically, meaning that creativity can go down instead of up.

The future of AI in streaming

Looking ahead, we can expect AI technologies like augmented and virtual reality to be the next big thing in streaming services. These technologies can offer a more enriched and potentially better viewing experience than we’ve seen before, and it’s exciting to see what that could bring.

As I mentioned earlier, AI could also help bring movies and series to audiences faster and easier. By automating various elements of filmmaking, from script writing to post-production, AI reduces manual labor and allows creative professionals to focus on more nuanced and frankly creative tasks. As these technologies continue to evolve, we the viewers can look forward to fresher content with less waiting time, which I think many of us are looking forward to.

On an even more practical level, AI innovations could increase content delivery, optimize things like streaming quality or reduce latency and improve load times. This could be useful for someone like me who lives in the middle of nowhere and struggles with good internet. Or AI could facilitate more efficient data compression without compromising quality, meaning we could see faster downloads and lower bandwidth consumption, again helping with the same problem. But it could also mean we’re more likely than ever to watch what AI, and therefore streaming services, want us to watch, rather than just “whatever’s on”.

As AI continues to weave itself into the very fabric of the entertainment and streaming industries, it’s important that we all realize how subtly yet profoundly it affects our own viewership. It drives what we watch and how we consume media, but human creativity must remain at the core to be effective in the future.