5 AI Trends Content Creators Need to Watch
Technology provides new avenues for creative professionals and artists to overcome the stigma of “starving artists” and become digital entrepreneurs. Platforms including youtube, patreon and Shutterstock provide a viable means for creators to publish and monetize their work.
However, there are also moments of decline. The changing monetization policies of these platforms are largely seen as bad for creators, forcing some artists to quit, or at least threaten to leave, as the Verge reports.
Nonetheless, these issues should not deter enterprising creative professionals from pursuing their passions. If you're a creative professional looking to use technology to your advantage, it pays to stay ahead of trends. These are good indicators of where the industry is headed, enabling you to take the necessary steps to stay relevant.
Here are five key technology trends that will change the creative content and content creator landscape.
1. Decentralized distribution platform
An important issue for content creators is how to easily share and distribute their work. Blockchain VCs are building decentralized platforms designed to challenge tech giants. Decentralized platforms promote openness, resist censorship and reward participants.
Projects like asTRON are building better global infrastructure for this. TRON recently partnered with peer-to-peer (p2p) network BitTorrent in an attempt to further decentralize the web and provide more distribution. The effort, called project Atlas, will incentivize users to act as "seeds," peers who help host and distribute content. This encourages more participation and increases the capacity of the network. Users can then enjoy better uptime and faster downloads.
2. Augmented and virtual reality
Improvements in mobile computing and display technology have made augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) more affordable. Tech giants are making big bets on AR and VR as they recognize the potential of these technologies. According to VentureBeat, 2017 saw an influx of $3 billion in investment into the industry.
AR and VR have proven themselves in various use cases. In terms of entertainment, these technologies are expected to provide more immersive gaming and live entertainment experiences. They are also now used in teaching and scientific research.
For example, Ceek enables artists and content creators to securely create virtual live concerts and merchandise. These items can then be used to enhance the viewing experience of viewers during events broadcast via VR.
Once AR/VR hardware and platforms mature enough to drive device prices down at the consumer level, there will inevitably be a lot of demand for content. As a result, demand for artists working on visual and sound content, including motion graphics, 3D, sound effects and music, will also increase.
3. AI-driven discovery and curation
Publishing platforms are also investing in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to help them discover and curate content.
For example, Netflix relies heavily on its recommendation engine to keep subscribers interested. Wired explained that 80% of the shows watched on the platform are recommended by the engine. YouTube and Instagram are using similar techniques to drive content discovery.
Just like how writers mastered SEO a decade ago, you now have to figure out how to make these recommendation engines work to their advantage. This way, you can optimize your content and even launch ad campaigns to increase your chances of being featured on your chosen platform and get more views.
4. Machine Generated Content
Speaking of AI and ML, several projects have also been trying to teach machines to do creative work. Shelley, for example, is the AI that writes horror stories, while alysia writes songs.
Some of these AIs are even good enough for mainstream purposes. The Washington Post now uses an automated storytelling engine called Heliograf to write many of its news articles. Other newspapers are also using AI to generate news updates.
As a content creator, you may see these items as a threat. But instead of being discouraged by these developments, you can consider this a source of motivation to hone your craft. Know that mediocrity is not an option when machines are quickly producing quality work.
5. The hustle and bustle of the sharing economy
The growth of the sharing and gig economy has been a boon for almost everyone. It provides professionals with ways to earn money not only part-time, but also full-time. Sharing economy revenue is expected to reach $40.2 billion in 2020, as recorded by Juniper Research.
Content creators can take advantage of the opportunity to earn additional income. You can try the more traditional route of embracing freelance gigs. Alternatively, you can rent out your equipment or computing resources during downtime.
Designers, AI developers, and filmmakers often invest in computers with high-end graphics processing units (gpus) capable of running tough tasks like image processing or video rendering. If you happen to own such a computer, you can rent out your GpU computing time to a platform like asTatau. The platform brings together GPU capabilities from tenants for companies and projects to use to run their own complex computing requirements. You get compensated for the work your computer performs, while others get cost-effective and affordable supercomputing services.
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So how should you respond to these trends? Here are some ways you can make these developments work for you:
Embrace change. Progress happens whether you decide to participate or not. So why not dabble in these new channels and see what they have to offer? This way, you can check if it fits the type of content you create and the preferences of your audience.
Look for opportunities. Today's successful content creators have the privilege of carving out their own space in the marketplace. Given the emergence of new platforms and tools, being an early adopter of these new technologies may give you the opportunity to be a pioneer and enter new and unsaturated markets. Acting on the side can even improve your skills or expand your network of contacts.
Focus on quality. One of the pitfalls of today’s content creators is the tendency to copy established creators’ formulas. While there's nothing wrong with taking inspiration from others, avoid being a cliché of me. Find your own voice. Add some spit and polish to your creations. Good content will always find an audience.
Finally, be inspired to keep going. Remember, masterpieces are not created overnight (nor are careers).
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