Artificial intelligence video tools are here, and like everything else AI, we still have much to learn about them. These dos and don’ts will help you lower the risks of learning to use these exciting new tools so you can safely enjoy the benefits.
For many organizations, video can be a powerful tool for delivering information to employees and customers. For example, a business’s marketing department might use video to generate website traffic or drive social media engagement.
Education and training groups can also benefit from videos that show exactly how to complete a process. At Centric Consulting, we even use short videos to create training videos and to illustrate marketing concepts such as our blog-publishing procedures and how to use our content library.
However, video has historically been very costly. Even companies with video experts on staff may have to hire freelance videographers, rent studio space or equipment, and invest resources in scripting, producing, and editing video content. Of course, all these tasks take time and money, making it a challenge to produce videos quickly for breaking news or rapid market changes.
Artificial intelligence can help. Just as AI is revolutionizing how we complete other work tasks, hundreds of AI video products currently on the market promise to greatly speed up the process and lower costs. Some top use cases for AI video tools include:
- Text to video: Scan text and use AI to search your library of existing clips, or clips already within the text-to-video tool.
- Voiceover to video: Use existing audio and let AI create a video using it.
- Audio enhancement: Automatically improve audio quality.
- Video clip selection: String short clips into one video using your length requirements. AI can select the clips with the best chances of drawing viewers.
- Video script writing: Use ChatGPT or similar tools to draft a script, choose topics, create titles, and more.
Currently, different AI tools best handle each of these tasks, but more end-to-end AI video generators are entering the market. They can analyze your input data (images, videos, and text) and pull out the information best suited for a video format. The tools then create storyboards that organize video scenes into logical sequences. Video editing techniques then bring the scenes to life by adding features like transitions, effects, and audio.
Because generators are still in development, I recommend sticking to an a là carte approach, especially when starting your AI video initiative. But first, current video capabilities, develop a video strategy, and resist the urge to create videos “because you can.”
In this blog, we offer some dos and don’ts of AI and video editing tips that will help you make the best decision when considering video AI tools for your organization.
The Dos of AI Video Tools
- Do choose the right AI tools: The numerous AI Video tools now available require you to understand your needs thoroughly because different tools solve different problems. For example, we use some AI tools to help write scripts, others for SEO research, and still others for arranging clips, building transitions, adjusting the audio, adding subtitles, creating transitions, and so on. By knowing your time, budget, in-house video capabilities, and other factors, you can narrow the field more easily and find the right tool more quickly.
- Do maintain human oversight: AI can automate and optimize videos, but it is not a substitute for human thought and creativity. Work with your marketing team to create content, visuals, and ideas that align with your brand and will attract viewers.
Pro Tip: AI video tools seldom produce anything useful on the first iteration.
- Do learn from your team: While you need executive buy-in for new digital tools or changes to your video strategy, avoid imposing a rigid, top-down approach. When given the freedom to experiment and make mistakes, individual team members will find new and creative uses for AI in video creation.
Encourage their creativity and innovation by maintaining an open dialogue about their ideas, emerging tools, and best practices.
The Don’ts of AI Video Tools
- Don’t over-rely on automation: Automation can speed parts of the video-creation process, but anything in the AI world requires human monitoring and adjustments.
Pro Tip: Currently, most AI video tools excel at small, specific parts of the video creation process.
- Don’t assume one-size-fits-all: The type of video that works for your business might not work for someone else. You should create AI strategies for every kind of video you plan to create. For example, imagine someone has created a text-heavy PowerPoint and they want to create an AI-generated voiceover. Does having the voice read all the content on the pages add value to the presentation, or would it be better to use your time simply editing the slides down? Your strategy can help guide these decisions.
- Don’t expect AI to be perfect: AI and machine learning are always in development. Keep your video experts in the editing room at key points in the process.
What’s Next for AI Video Tools
AI technologies are not perfect, but they will continue to improve. The irony is that they will improve more quickly as humans feed them with increasingly better content. But don’t don’t let that fact lull you into a “wait and see” approach. If your organization is spending a lot of time and money producing videos, you should start exploring the various tools as soon as you have a strategy in place for using AI to create videos for your company.
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