AI can't do it all: Automated news videos better with human touch, research finds

For news organizations, creating high-quality videos can be a time-consuming and expensive endeavour. This is why newsrooms have started embracing Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered video services to produce videos faster and more cost-effectively. However, a new study shows that viewers aren't as engaged with fully automated news videos as videos created entirely by humans, underscoring the irreplaceable value of the human touch.

Researchers, led by Professor Neil Thurman, a communications scientist at LMU Munich conducted a comprehensive study, analyzing the reactions of over 4,200 British news consumers. These viewers were presented with human-made, highly automated and semi-automated news videos covering a range of topics, from politics (Donald Trump) to sports (Wimbledon) to entertainment.

The researchers found no major difference in viewer preference between the human-made and the semi-automated videos.In contrast, the viewers weren't as engaged with the completely automated videos.

This suggests that AI can be a valuable tool in the news video creation process, offering speed and efficiency. However, when it comes to audience engagement, the best results can be achieved when AI is used in tandem with human oversight.

Embracing Human-machine collaboration

In conclusion, while AI offers exciting possibilities for the future of news production, this study reinforces the enduring value of human expertise and creativity. The most successful news videos will likely emerge from the dynamic synergy of AI and human collaboration, where the speed and efficiency of automation seamlessly integrate with the depth, nuance, and emotional resonance that only humans can deliver.

This hybrid approach will help generate content that not only captures viewer attention but also deeply engages and resonates with them.

"A key finding of the study is that automated videos perform best when created in a hybrid form, i.e. in human-machine collaboration. Such a hybrid form involves greater human oversight, ensuring that automated video production maintains quality standards while taking full advantage of computers' strengths, such as speed and scale," Thurman said.