Producers and Directors

In media production today, some routine tasks use AI while creative work stays with people. For example, news agencies already use AI to write simple data-driven stories. The Associated Press now automates short earnings reports from company data ^[1].

Gannett papers have tried using AI to create game summaries too, though those tools sometimes made mistakes (like forgetting team names) and needed human editors ^[2]. In video editing, smart software can transcribe interviews, remove background noise, or tag faces in clips ^[3]. These features help producers check footage and meet technical standards more quickly.

By contrast, higher-level tasks rarely rely on AI. Deciding camera angles, directing actors, or choosing scripts still needs a human’s creative judgment. Producers and directors “are responsible for creative decisions, such as interpretation of script, choice of actors” and set design ^[4].

In short, AI is good at the grunt work and data-heavy parts (transcription, scheduling, routine editing) ^{[3] [1]}, but the core creative leadership remains with people.

Why adopt AI tools fast or slow? One factor is that helpful AI already exists: many editing programs and scheduling apps have “smart” features. Producers can use AI for budgeting, scheduling, or tracking progress ^[5].

This can save time and cut costs, letting teams focus on creative goals instead of small details ^{[5] [3]}. On the other hand, quality and trust are concerns. A recent case of an AI-written sports story full of errors led one newspaper to stop using the tool ^[2].

Journalists also worry that too much AI writing could hurt reader trust ^[2]. In creative fields like film or news, people value human judgment and integrity. So the industry is moving carefully: experts suggest using AI as a helper (to speed up editing or research) while keeping humans in charge of the final work ^{[2] [5]}.

In the end, human skills – creative vision, leadership and story sense – remain important, and AI is seen as a tool to assist, not replace, producers and directors ^{[4] [3]}.