There’s a fear that AI is disrupting the commercial production industry.
I see it differently. I believe AI will be the catalyst for a golden age of video production.
This is why.
The Anti-AI Slop Approach
Yes, an increasing number of tools now exist to enable mass production of AI-generated videos. (Sidenote: Now there’s one less with Sora’s shutdown)
Every day, people share their new systems for building an “AI content factory.” In many ways, it’s becoming a race to the bottom.
The truth is, you can’t AI your way to acquiring taste and judgment, and the proliferation of low-quality AI videos is a prime example. In a recent LinkedIn poll I published, the growth of AI slop was the No. 2 concern people had about AI-generated video content.
The more AI slop that exists, the more impactful human-led storytelling becomes. Call it a flight to quality. The companies we speak to invest in video to build trust, and in most cases, AI videos do the opposite.
Meanwhile, human-led content – particularly in B2B – continues to outperform. Per LinkedIn, videos with real people and authentic stories have 78% more engagement.
There’s a reason why leading AI companies like Anthropic, OpenAI, and Lovable still center their brand campaigns around real people.
When Product Is No Longer A Moat
Recently, investor and entrepreneur Kevin Rose predicted that software products will become commoditized in the next five years.
This seems slightly dystopian, but his point about brand, community, and distribution becoming moats for software companies is salient. These already are key ingredients to product adoption, and no tech company can grow its brand, build community, and improve its distribution without an effective video strategy.
Consider these data points:
- YouTube is the No. 1 most-used social media app by U.S. adults, and it ranks No. 1 in the U.S. in TV viewing time.
- Video is the No. 1 content type on LinkedIn. Video posts are shared 20x more than any other form of content on the platform.
AI Is A Tailwind For Video Producers
We use AI frequently at 3rd + Lamar.
The technology is helpful for script revisions, transcriptions, creative research, and previsualization. And there are great use cases for using AI to generate video content, such as in dynamic product videos, language localization, and stadium renderings like the one produced by the Tampa Bay Rays (see below).
It will be video producers who leverage these tools to expand (rather than reduce) their capabilities.
How To Build Your Video Strategy
AI is lowering the barriers to producing video. But as production becomes easier, differentiation will come from something harder to replicate: taste, judgment, and authentic human storytelling.
The brands that win in this next era won’t be the ones producing the most video. They’ll be the ones producing the most meaningful video.
If you’re struggling on where to start relative to your video strategy, schedule a free consultation with us.
