Artificial Intelligence (AI) has transformed video marketing, moving beyond data analysis to enhancing existing content and creating entirely new videos. It can now improve current content and generate new material. AI can empower marketers to use tools effectively while maintaining the essential human touch.
From crafting empathetic stories to ensuring legal compliance and quality control, AI’s impact spans voice-to-text tools, virtual influencers, and more. Here we will discuss how AI can help marketers at every stage of video production, its benefits, and the challenges marketers face in leveraging AI’s full potential.
Evolution of AI in Video Marketing
AI has advanced significantly in the field of marketing. Before, it was used mainly for data analysis and automation, but now, with developments in computer vision and natural language processing, AI in videos has become a powerful tool that helps marketers finish tasks with less time needed, quality uncompromised (if done right).
AI in Video vs AI Video: The Difference
AI in video means using AI-driven tools to enhance or edit video content. This can include tasks like automated editing, colour correction, special effects, generating transcripts and metadata, and improving audio quality. For example, AI can be used to automatically generate subtitles or enhance low-quality footage. AI in videos is essentially about using AI tools to improve or modify existing video content.
AI videos, on the other hand, are videos that are entirely or mostly created by AI. These videos can be generated from scratch based on text descriptions, data inputs or algorithms. An AI might generate an animated short film by interpreting a script, or create a music video using data-driven techniques to animate characters and scenes.
Our focus in this article is on AI in video, empowering marketers to find effective and efficient ways to produce or improve their content, not solely to rely on AI to do the work. Here are some functions that AI-driven tools can perform to help you and your business.
Voice-to-text
According to National Public Radio, 57% of voice search users use voice commands on a daily basis, showing the reliance on speech technologies.
Voice-to-text software works by listening to audio and producing verbatim text using speech recognition technology. Machine learning (ML) and natural language processing (NLP) improve transcriptions and help systems recognise language nuances.
AI-powered voice-to-text technology comes in many forms, with several applications and use cases. Voice assistants such as Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant rely on an AI speech-to-text generator to provide voice commands, task completion, and information search.
Modern transcription services use artificial intelligence voice-to-text technology to convert spoken words into text, and are used in legal contexts, healthcare, education, and marketing.
Adding subtitles
Under the ‘voice-to-text’ umbrella are subtitles. Subtitles are done step by step, starting with voice recognition. AI algorithms look into the video’s audio track to transcribe spoken words into text, recognising different accents, dialects, and languages.
Next is using natural language processing (NLP) techniques to grasp the context and nuances of spoken languages. This ensures that the meanings are appropriately recorded.
Last is text synchronisation. AI algorithms assess the video’s audio and visual signals to correctly align the subtitles with the spoken words, creating a cohesive and seamless viewing experience.
With AI-generated subtitles and captioning, you can reach a broader audience, especially hearing-impaired people or those who experience some degree of hearing loss.
And even for those who aren’t hard of hearing, captions can be quite useful! Around 74% of Facebook users choose to watch videos without sound, so failing to include closed captions could prompt them to continue scrolling rather than stopping to watch.
AI voice cloning
Voice cloning is generating a digital replica of another person’s voice. In the past, this could be done by using voice recognition software or capturing the person’s voice and then creating a digital replica. Today, you can easily have your voice replicated using an AI-powered platform.
It works in a variety of methods, but it usually starts with analysing samples of the target speaker’s speech in various settings. It determines how the speaker talks in various scenarios to capture details such as tone or nuance.
Then, voice cloning technology creates a computer model that can precisely replicate that person’s speech, even when generating new words or expressions! When done correctly, the end result is a virtual imitation of their real voice that sounds almost identical.
Voice cloning gives you personalised, believable, and engaging customer interactions. Instead of using stiff, synthetic voices, you can differentiate yourself by copying a human voice, creating a recognisable brand, and increasing audience engagement.
Virtual influencers
Another growing trend in AI video marketing is the use of virtual influencers. These digital personas, which are often produced using CGI, motion capture, and artificial intelligence, are meant to behave online in the same manner that a human influencer would, giving marketers a unique opportunity to connect with consumers.
These computer-generated characters can be trained to communicate advertising campaigns in a more engaging and interactive style. Virtual influencers can be customised according to your brand’s image and target demographic, giving a unique and memorable video marketing experience.
Using AI From Storyboarding to Production
Creating an idea from scratch can be time-consuming and brain-wrecking, especially if a video marketer has been in the industry for so long that no idea seems to be original anymore.
That’s where AI tools come in handy. With the way it has evolved over the years, you can now use various AI tools for every stage of your video production, from research, storyboarding, to execution.
Market research and analysis
AI has changed the way marketers use data, making it more precise and intelligent than ever before. Marketers can now use AI to dig deeper into customer data, discovering previously unidentified patterns and relationships. This leads to better personalisation, saves time, and improves decision-making.
Before crafting a video material, marketers can now use AI to gather data about their audiences first. You can search and analyse trends and draw ideas from there.
Personalised content ideas
78% of consumers say they’re more likely to purchase from brands that personalise.
With AI, marketers can improve their personalisation and go beyond common demographic categories, getting more intricate and precise customer profiles. AI algorithms can develop detailed customer personas through analysing a wide range of data points, such as browsing history, purchase behaviour, and social media interactions.
The AI algorithm can also automatically select relevant product images and descriptions, craft an engaging narrative, and even change the video duration according to the customer’s preferences.
Video marketers can then ideate videos that convey hyper-personalised messages, giving experiences that touch on a human level.
Scriptwriting and storyboarding
AI-powered scriptwriting tools can give inspiration and enhance the creative process by analysing massive amounts of data. It can come up with compelling plotlines, character development ideas, and even witty dialogues.
Writers can also use the technology to improve their scripts by noting out flaws, story gaps, and potential changes.
For storyboarding, AI can also help speed up the process. Instead of spending time trying to draw out the exact picture in your head, AI can assist you. AI storyboarding tools can easily create a video script based on a topic. You can paste a ready-made script or type it out scene by scene, and AI will analyse it and generate images based on the word prompts.
AI image generators can also fuel directors and animators’ creativity. These systems can help spark new ideas and give a starting point for visualising the plot.
For example, an AI image generator can generate a scenario in which a character walks through a forest, which can motivate the director to include more elements, like animals or mystical creatures, to improve the story.
Video editing/production
After shooting the video, AI algorithms can analyse raw footage, identify important moments, and automatically edit the video, giving you a polished and professional final product. AI can also generate accurate captions and provide voiceover options, saving marketers time and costs.
That’s mostly their charm: they help automate repetitive and time-consuming tasks.
For example, Adobe’s Project Fast Fill shows how AI can quickly and easily delete or add objects and reorganise backdrop elements in videos using basic language inputs. The app automates tasks that would otherwise require intensive manual editing, saving video editors a lot of time.
AI also speeds up the editing process by identifying and picking the best footage based on composition, lighting, and focus. This automated selection saves editors time and effort in sifting through vast amounts of material. AI’s skills go beyond standard video editing by optimising parts such as colour grading and sound design.
By analysing video footage and applying pre-programmed rules or machine learning algorithms, AI can improve the overall quality and consistency of the video outcome.
Distribution and scheduling
AI can help you automate and accelerate your content distribution process by scheduling, publishing, and distributing content across many channels and platforms. These tools can help you identify the ideal time, frequency, and format for distributing your content based on your audience’s behaviour and preferences.
You can also use AI to track and change your distribution strategy based on content performance and feedback. This allows you to generate and deliver information that is consistent, timely, and effective.
AI User Inclusivity and Accessibility in Videos
As video usage and consumption expand, companies are focusing on boosting video content inclusivity and accessibility. Specifically, 59% more videos received a higher accessibility score in 2023 than in 2022, with almost 254% of companies using closed captions in 2023.
Catering to different types of audiences has been more prioritised in recent years, with the world being more information-driven and inclusivity advocates. Fortunately, AI has become an effective tool for making internet material more accessible and diverse. AI can assist in minimising many of the barriers people face, allowing them to have easier access to information and ideas.
Automated captioning and transcription services
Using machine learning methods, AI software can analyse the voice in the content and generate captions or subtitles that exactly match what is spoken. This technology can also be used to deliver real-time translations of content in many languages, making it more accessible to persons who do not speak the language used in the original content.
Likewise, AI-assisted closed captioning and subtitling is a valuable tool for content accessibility and inclusivity, particularly for individuals who are hearing-impaired, or who prefer to watch videos with captions or subtitles.
Audio descriptions
AI can be used to provide audio descriptions for photos and movies, providing more context for the visually handicapped. This procedure involves analysing the image or video material and creating a description of the visual content’s relevant elements. These descriptions are then inserted into the audio version of the information, where people who need it can easily access it.
Content summaries
An AI summariser helps make information easier to understand by shortening long content to digestible ones. This is especially helpful for readers with cognitive disabilities, allowing them to grasp the main ideas without feeling overwhelmed. By offering clear and brief summaries, AI tools make it easier for everyone to understand and remember information, creating a more inclusive environment.
Image and video recognition
Using image and video recognition algorithms, AI software can analyse a picture or video’s content and identify the items and features that appear. Based on this analysis, the AI can provide a description of the image or video, which can be read aloud by text-to-speech software or shown as alternate text (Alt text) for screen readers.
Alt texts and text-to-speech softwares help people with visual impairments understand contents and engage online. This technology can also help those with cognitive or learning disabilities, who may struggle to interpret complicated visual content without additional context.
Real-time sign language interpretation
AI can now be used for real-time sign language interpretation for videos. It can analyse and understand sign language motions and movements in real time using computer vision and natural language processing, helping those who communicate primarily through sign language to have a more immersive and inclusive experience with video content.
Overall Benefits of AI in Video Marketing
Connect across moments
AI in video marketing helps you connect with your audience at the right moments. By analysing user behaviour and preferences, AI ensures your videos are shown when viewers are most likely to engage, creating more meaningful and timely interactions.
Boost your creative performance
AI tools enhance your creative process by giving you insights into what resonates with your audience. They can suggest improvements, generate personalised content, and optimise videos for different platforms, helping you produce high-quality and engaging content consistently.
Track engagement and conversion
AI enables precise tracking of how viewers interact with your videos. It analyses metrics like watch time, clicks, and shares, giving you detailed insights into engagement and conversion rates. This data helps you refine your strategy and improve your video’s effectiveness.
Cost-effective
Using AI in video marketing can significantly reduce costs. It automates many tasks such as editing, content creation, and analysis, saving time and resources. It also helps target your audience more accurately, reducing wasted ad spend and maximising your marketing budget.
Stay ahead with trend analysis
AI keeps you ahead of the curve by analysing current trends and predicting future ones. It helps you understand what content is gaining popularity and what your audience will be interested in next, allowing you to stay relevant and adapt your strategy proactively.
Challenges of Using AI in Video Marketing
Limited creativity and intuition
AI struggles with being truly creative and intuitive. It tends to rely on patterns and data, which can make content seem formulaic or lacks the unique spark that human creativity brings to the table.
While AI can help with data analysis and content development, human creativity is still vital to create unique and compelling marketing strategies. Marketers should use AI to boost their creative processes rather than replace them.
Lack of human touch and personalisation
While AI can customise content based on data, it often misses the subtle nuances of human emotions and contexts. This can make AI-generated content feel impersonal or less engaging, as viewers might miss the genuine human touch that creates authentic connections.
Human oversight can add a personal touch to AI-driven campaigns, ensuring that customer interactions feel authentic.
Data limitations
AI depends a lot on the quality and amount of data it has. If the data is insufficient or biassed, it can lead to inaccurate insights and poor marketing strategies, ultimately affecting the success of video marketing campaigns.
Biassed training data can lead to the spread of stereotypes and unfair representation in AI-generated content. MIT researchers found that some AI models trained on internet text showed gender and racial biases, reflecting the biases present in the data they were trained on.
Ethical and legal concerns
Using AI to create content brings up ethical questions, especially when the content is misleading or harmful. Also, who owns and holds the copyright for AI-generated videos is a complicated legal issue that needs to be sorted out.
A survey by the Pew Research Center found that 76% of people are worried about the misuse of AI, including deepfake videos, for harmful purposes.
The importance of Human Touch in AI-Driven Video Marketing
Empathy and storytelling
As effective and efficient AI can be, marketers shouldn’t rely only on it, especially when crafting content that’s supposed to resonate with the people and their pain points. Human insight will always be superior to weaving empathy in every story of a campaign.
As marketers, you can use AI to brainstorm or get ideas, but you cannot fully rely on it to convey what you feel, or what you want people to feel. That’s the human in you.
Explore new perspectives
AI can assist in generating ideas, but thinking outside the box is where humans truly shine. Marketers should use AI as a tool to inspire and inform their creative processes, but the innovative and unique concepts that make content stand out come from human creativity. Using AI to complement human ingenuity can lead to more original and engaging marketing campaigns.
Personalisation and nuance
AI can gather and analyse data to help personalise content, but it’s the human touch that brings nuance to this personalisation. Marketers should use AI to understand their audience better and identify trends, but they must apply their understanding and sensitivity to tailor content in a way that feels truly personal and relevant to each customer.
Quality control and final edits
While AI can assist with initial editing and error detection, the final quality control and edits should be done by humans. You should use AI to streamline the editing process and catch mistakes, but you’re the one to check if the content flows smoothly, is polished, and meets high standards of quality and professionalism.
Legal oversight
AI can help identify potential legal issues, but human insight is important for final legal oversight. You can use AI to flag possible copyright infringements and ethical concerns, but human judgment is necessary to ensure that content complies with all legal standards and maintains audience trust.
Use AI to help you produce the best content
Overall, AI is a massively powerful tool for content production, and it has a host of advantages in videos. Marketers can always look at video tasks and ask if it can be automated– and with AI, yes, it can, and with far better execution now than before.