Streaming services have transformed how we consume media, but having vast content libraries at our fingertips has created new challenges. Artificial intelligence offers several solutions to help enhance the user experience, streamline functionality, and optimize engagement. Here’s why we need more AI in streamed entertainment:
AI Offers You a Better Viewing/Listening Experience
Do you ever feel deja vu while scrolling through your recommendations? Many platforms currently use our past behavior to formulate new suggestions, which can become annoying. I recall watching Netflix’s “Monster” series once, and soon after, my recommendations became worryingly macabre. I eventually reset my Netfix recommendations. To remedy this, AI’s deep learning models could not only analyze past behaviors but also utilize data from multiple smart devices in real-time to make recommendations based on our current moods and preferences.
Additionally, AI can improve the audiovisual experience by optimizing streaming quality based on our devices’ capabilities and internet speed. YouTube is one of the services currently using this technology, and as someone who lives in an area with inconsistent internet speeds, having AI automatically adjust the quality in real time to reduce buffering is a real game changer.
AI Improves Search and Discovery Features
Having an extensive library of streaming content at our fingertips can be both a blessing and a curse. AI can alleviate frustration by helping to refine our searches using natural language processing, or NLP. NLP uses descriptive prompts that don’t rely on keywords to give a broader variety of suggestions based on our mood, tone, or preferences. For example, you could say, “Show me something historical and funny,” and the algorithm would oblige.
Furthermore, AI can analyze consumer patterns across a broad user base to generate lists based on various demographics, such as age groups, shared interests, and locations. In the future, AI models could build on this by incorporating other behaviors like our shopping trends and social media interactions to generate a bigger picture of what we enjoy as individuals.
AI Provides Better Accessibility Features
AI-driven translation is already highly accurate and constantly improving, helping a broader user base enjoy streaming services globally. However, one of the most promising uses of artificial intelligence is the accessibility features that allow differently-abled consumers to experience streamed content. Visually and hearing-impaired users now benefit from automated closed captioning and audio descriptions that are generated in real-time and are less reliant on pre-generated scripts or lagging live subtitles.
Artificial intelligence is constantly developing its accessibility features to improve the inclusivity of streamed entertainment. One possible application could be avatars that use machine learning to translate sign language in real time to benefit the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.
AI Improves Analytics and Prediction
Analytics is the driving force behind streaming services, and AI can significantly enhance analytics capabilities. It can monitor user engagement in real-time and mitigate risk by implementing retention strategies if numbers dwindle. Machine learning models can also predict user behavior and market trends, helping services make informed decisions about which shows to promote or shelve. AI can also perform advanced A/B testing to help services understand what resonates with consumers and optimize their platforms to meet their needs more accurately.
While artificial intelligence is sometimes seen as an intrusive and sinister development, it is a valuable tool that can significantly enhance how we interact with technology. By embracing AI, streaming services can improve viewing quality, efficiency, accessibility, and discovery. It helps companies and consumers by predicting what we like and creating playlists and recommendations while analyzing our behavior to provide a better service. Like many of us, I have reservations about AI, but as far as streaming services are concerned, I believe it helps me get more bang for my buck.
