Gather ‘Round, It’s Robot Storytime!
Exploring Generative AI and the future of storytelling
The world of storytelling is changing fast. Let’s change with it.
It’s hard not to feel like the sky is falling right now if you work in the film and television industries. There’s a lot going on, and none of it seems good: mergers, layoffs, strikes, cord-cutting, Streaming Wars, social media, and artificial intelligence are the topics coming up again and again. The constant stream of bad news has many of us asking what our careers will look like in a year. In 5? 10? With the industry in flux, it’s impossible to predict.
Despite this litany of topics impacting our industry, the one that seems impossible to escape is also the most misunderstood: Artificial Intelligence. It feels like Generative AI is already poised to eat our livelihoods and automate away the creative process.
But does it really have to be that way? I’m not convinced.
Flipping the script
When I read the trades, listen to podcasts, talk to other creative professionals or read social media, I feel like everyone is having the wrong conversations about AI and media. We all have a collective case of Shiny Object Syndrome, and it’s causing us to take our eye off the ball.
Instead of talking realistically about how Generative AI might shape our future, we’re too focused on the doom and gloom, or on the latest tool or AI creation that’s striking fear into the hearts of creative professionals. “Did you see this new thing? Have you heard about this new app?”
It’s important to stay up to date, but the fear and anxiety is keeping us from focusing on our individual and collective strengths. Change is daunting, but it also brings opportunity. You just have to be ready to embrace it.
A Little Bit About Me
I’ve been working in unscripted TV for almost 20 years now. I got my start as a night AE on season 2 of Human Giant on MTV. Since then I’ve been an editor, producer, showrunner, Executive Producer and creative executive at multiple production companies, editing and producing content on networks like History, Discovery, TLC, Lifetime, AMC, HGTV and MTV.
I’ve seen the television industry change dramatically over the past few years as cord-cutting and streaming have eaten into viewership and ad dollars, and mergers and acquisitions have further depressed commissions, budgets and schedules. And then came ChatGPT, Midjourney, and other generative AI tools, throwing another monkey wrench into an already perilous situation.
Now What?
To combat my own anxieties, I've spent the past year and a half diving headfirst into all things Generative AI. If there's a tool, I've used it. If there's a new app, I've tried it. I've spent an ungodly amount of time conversing with ChatGPT, discussing everything from history to coding, often going long into the wee hours of the morning. You name it, I've taken it for a spin, always trying to answer two fundamental questions:
How can I use this right now?
What does this mean for my future as a creative professional in the television industry?
I've started joking with colleagues that when the inevitable Rise of the Machines takes place, I want to be seen as a collaborator. Maybe that’s why I’m so polite to ChatGPT! Ultimately, I think mastery of these tools is going to be the best way to differentiate yourself in the job market in just a few years, so I want to learn what these tools are capable of to satisfy my natural curiosity as well as future-proof my career. But will there even be a career worth future-proofing in a few years? That’s the million-dollar question.
But believe it or not, I don’t have a pessimistic view of the future of the media industry. At least, not because of Generative AI. I think the Streaming Wars, cord-cutting, and the fracturing of audiences across new outlets like social media have been and will continue to be greater threats to our livelihoods than Generative AI, at least in the short term.
And the main reason I’m not particularly worried about the longterm future of the industry as it relates to GenAI is precisely because I’ve spent so much time using these tools. My hands-on experience leads me to believe that while AI will reshape many aspects of media production, it won't replace the human touch that adds depth and nuance to storytelling.
Don’t get me wrong. Artificial Intelligence is changing the world already, and will continue to do so in ways that we can't predict. I’m just not convinced it will change the industry or consumer media consumption habits and expectations in the ways we’re expecting. Or more specifically, in the ways that we fear.
Let’s tell a different story
I’m cautiously optimistic about our AI-dominated future because deep down, humans love stories. We need to tell stories. We tell stories about everything, every single day, starting with the stories we tell ourselves, the way we create the narrative for our own lives.
No matter how good Generative AI gets, it’s never going to change that biological imperative for humans to tell stories. And for that reason, I’m viewing the glass as half-full.
That’s why I’m creating Robot Storytime, to be a place where I can explore the new frontiers of storytelling from the perspective of cautious optimism and excitement, rather than fear. I want to form a community of creative storytellers who are curious and unafraid, and who are focused on the new opportunities Generative AI can provide for us, rather than what it will take away.
Please Join Me
I’m going to start by posting every two weeks. This isn’t a tech blog, so I’m not planning to spend too much time covering every single storytelling or filmmaking tool, but instead I’ll focus on what it all means, and how we can harness these powerful tools to tell stories that wouldn’t be possible without them. So if you’re a professional storyteller, creative executive, work in media, or are just curious about the future of Generative AI and media, then feel free to follow along.