AI Killed the Video Star?

Video killed the radio star. Yeah, video killed the radio star. A song that is almost 50 years old and I'm sure it is still stuck in some of our heads. It inspired my title, AI killed the video star. But the question mark matters because the next few years will decide how much we let AI lead the way and how much we don't. I could have probably updated this talk five minutes before coming out here on stage and there would have been still something new and groundbreaking to tell you. Because it seems that nothing changes as quickly as the world of AI. We are still living in what many call the golden age of video. There has never been more content. But we are no longer living in the golden age of production anymore. Budgets are shrinking, timelines are shrinking, expectations are not shrinking. And AI feels like the perfect answer to all of that. So the question is not, is AI here to stay? I think that's evident. But the real question for me is, how do we as filmmakers stay relevant in this new reality? That is what I'm asking myself almost every day. And that's what I'm here to talk about. So if you're talking about staying relevant, let's say in the next 25 years, it helps to look back what actually happened almost 25 years ago. So let's travel back in time. This is a younger version of me in the year 2000 and I was 10 years old. And this year started with a major topic. I'm sure some of you here remember. Y2K or the millennium bug. There was a real fear that computers would interpret 00 as 1900. And so on New Year's Eve, the global systems would collapse. Planes would fall. Banks would crash. Chaos everywhere. Computers would explode. I don't know how many of you are remembering this and how many of you are maybe too young. But in the end, nothing exploded, obviously. Except the Internet. Because right after that, we entered the internet boom. Today, I'm 35 years old. And that means that I am part of a very specific generation. And I'm sure many of you are too. We are the only generation that grew up both analog and digital. I still remember the sound of a modem connecting to the internet. That beautiful, aggressive noise. Yeah, that one. Nice. I witnessed the transition from cassette to Discman to MP3 to now Spotify. From fax to feed. From offline to never really being alone again. And now we are at another threshold. But this time it's not about digital. It's about artificial intelligence. AI didn't suddenly appear last year. People have been working with it for decades. And only in the last two to three years, it became mainstream. Today, almost everyone has used tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Midjourney, NanoBanana. Quick question. How many of you are using AI tools on a daily basis? Please raise your hands. Yeah, I think it's almost everyone. And who loves it? Who couldn't live without it anymore? Okay, interesting. Who hates it? Who would like to go back in time? Okay, okay, that's only a few. So sometimes it's both for me, I have to say. But here we are. Whenever humanity reaches a new threshold, we do what we always do. We get scared. And now it's a different kind of fear. Not the fear of being set back, but the fear of being replaced. And I'm not here to predict what's going to happen in the next 25 years and if robots are going to take over or not. But I do believe this. I do believe that we will not lose relevance as humans, especially not in the creative industries. And here's why. Because relevance doesn't come from tools. It comes from attitude. You don't become relevant because you know how to use the latest software. You become relevant because you understand what moves people. And you translate that into something that they can actually feel. Technology changes, but emotions don't. That was true in the year 2000. And it will still be true in 2050. Now, often we hear, oh, AI, it's just a tool, not the answer. But yes, it is. For creatives, it's a very powerful one. Mainly for two reasons. Number one, it can be the best brainstorming partner you've ever had. You can set the tone of voice that you would like to talk to. It gets to know your personality. And together you build on each other's knowledge. And then there's number two, which is actually the game changer for me. You never have to face a blank page again. And we as creatives know how hard it is to create a page. How hard it sometimes is to just start. It doesn't mean that the result is perfect. It doesn't mean it replaces your thinking. But it gives you this starting point. And sometimes that's everything. So those who see AI only as a threat are missing out on a lot of new possibilities to make your work easier and even more fun. But of course, AI isn't the universal solution. Anyone who has ever dealt with image generation knows how often you have to prompt something before the result is truly on point. AI isn't a replacement for creativity. It's a mirror. It reflects patterns. So when you give it an idea, it gives you something based on what already exists. And that's where it gets interesting. If your idea is predictable, the outcome will be predictable. But if your idea is bold, strange, unexpected, then AI can amplify that direction. But it will never create intention. It has no taste, no desire, no urgency. It doesn't care if your story moves people. It doesn't care if it changes something. It can't feel anything. And that's precisely where creativity arises. That part is still ours. Even Anthropic, founder of Claude, said, Claude can't replace AI. He can't replace taste or imagination. So maybe it's not about creating more content, but it's about creating better stories. And that's also our approach at the company I'm working at, Das Rund. I'm working there since 2018. And I brought our latest pitch reel to give you a short introduction video of what we're up to. Let's watch it together. Let's watch it together. Let's watch it together. Next episode! What's going on? That's impossible! Next episode! Next episode! Next episode! Next episode! Welcome to MTV OnBlock! We're here in the Austrian film industry. Is there anything else? Yeah, apologies that there are no subtitles in English, only the inserts. But the little blonde girl in the end, she's asking, Is there more? And more is what we always want at our company. Das Rund was founded in 2015. And in the last 10 years, we actually grew from a typical advertising film production company to a creative production house. From 10 people to now over 30 employees. That means that we develop and produce branded entertainment, documentaries, feature films, series. And as head of Rund Studios, I'm responsible for the creative team, where we also create original content. Now, as you've maybe realized, in this pitch reel, we also used AI for the Gumball machine, for example. And a team of AI designers joined our in-house post-production since the beginning of this year. In our weekly AI meetings, we discuss the latest tools, since new ones are also coming out almost every week. But more importantly, we discuss the question of limits of integrating AI into our workflows. And we've also published a dedicated AI statement on our website. It says that, our AI generations are based on human creation. And that what matters to us is the creative knowledge to implement ideas with the right tools, to master the right prompts, and to understand that we should never completely rely on machines when it comes to human emotions. Film and storytelling will always be based on human connection. But what does that mean in our everyday business lives? Do we use AI for music? For voices? For people? I'm going to show you now what we've been up to in the last couple of months and that will give you an answer especially to the last question. So, the unpopular truth is yes. Although we initially wanted to set a clear boundary regarding people in front of the camera, there soon opened up a new field that demanded that we prompt people as realistically as possible. Trailers for films that don't yet exist. In the past, we had to edit mood videos from stock footage and now we can present the story with much more consistency. Our goal with this is always to help imagination become reality. And the more realistically we can sell this imagination, the better. Are we opening Pandora's box with this? Most likely. It's a fine line between demonstrating what's possible and resisting the temptation to implement everything with AI. We love filmmaking and we would never abandon the craft and the magic that happens on set with a team. But how do we convince our clients of this? Now we've arrived at the three things that I consider essential for remaining relevant in today's world. Number one. Knowledge. Learn the rules like a pro so you can break them like an artist is what Pablo Picasso had already said. And this quote highlights that true innovation and creativity stem from mastering foundations. So in our case, the tools. Staying up to date. Trying new things. But only then to consciously stepping away from it and create something truly original. Like I said before, AI won't come up with something unique. Unless it isn't in your brain first. Although only if we know how to implement certain AI tools we can argue against them and their myths. And there are a lot of them out there. Two examples. Myth number one. It's cheap because it's AI. No. AI's flop is cheap. And it certainly looks like it. If you want good AI it takes time, expertise and iteration. If you want humans that look so real and so authentic it takes months to develop character design and prompt them in every possible angle with light, with real reactions of their faces and so on. Myth number two. Anyone can do it. Right away. No. Prompting is a skill too. At least until AI agents will completely take that away from us too. But consistency is hard. Control is limited. And you need to practice. You can get frustrated easily. a factor of uncertainty. Often clients ask us can't we do this with AI? I'm sure it's much faster. And our answer is always we have to test it first. And only because we can doesn't mean we should or that it's the best way for a project. Which brings me to number two. Values. Our AI statement underscores our belief in the power of human connection. We want to nourish talent and not computers. We want to create a space for film lovers whose passion shines through on screen. DAS RUND stands for curiosity, courage and equality. As many companies say they do. And we have to prove it these days. Now more than ever. Relevance always implies visibility. And visibility unfortunately remains unequally distributed. If you look at an average director's roster today so the lists from agencies and production companies where they present their talent you might realize that only 5 or maybe 10% are women. Why? Many talent women are working in the fields of directing cinematography, lighting or sound design. But they often don't market themselves as much. When we get asked as a production company to come up with director's ideas for a pitch it's sometimes like looking for a needle in a haystack. And ideally in the future it will be about finding the best person for the job. No question. No matter the gender. But until we're there it's up to all of us to ensure that all talent is visible. The era of the old white man is unfortunately experiencing a political resurgence. And when it comes to tech and AI the main protagonists are almost all male. Did you ever wonder why we found a female body that looks like Barbie in the first place? It's patriarchy. And only through diversity and different voices being heard new impulses can emerge. Let's never forget that. This also inspired us to come up with our own project which we financed ourselves for International Women's Day. On March 8th in 2021 we released a film online and I would like to show it to you again before I say more about it. Don't you think you're reaching a bit too high? You started dancing at 13? I was four... You better dream about something you can actually achieve. Do you really think you can go to Africa? That's a lot of money. You're just a girl. Did you hear that Stephanie wants to perform in bars? She's just desperate for attention. Her outfits look way too eccentric. Who does she think she is? She will never be famous. Do you really think you're a smart enough? Just a black girl from Chicago. Let's be realistic. Critics will always make noise. But as long as we stick together as an alliance, the voice of support will always be louder. Thank you, thank you. Our idea with this was to portray different young women who were considered pioneers in their field and who had to face criticism or still have to face criticism. The film's message is that if these women had known each other let's say back in high school and they were friends, they could have empowered one another and we are therefore appealing for more alliances between women. It was a joy to cast these girls as a version of our role models. And there was no was no AI in it, obviously, it was five years ago, but I doubt that we would do anything differently today. The film went viral and it was shared by influencers like the chain Goodall Austria Channel or Austria's biggest magazine for women and various press reported on it and we won several awards for the film. This example shows that we gained relevance through the decision to shine light on a topic that mattered to us and we gained a lot of new followers too. Another viral moment we've only had two so far was this making-of clip for a commercial for the Austrian food chain called Billa. As you can see, it's stopped now. Oh, that's too bad. Now it's running. Let's see how long. As you can see, it's a wedding scene and the bride is throwing her bouquet. But this isn't about the story. It's about the gear. Because social media shows what followers are most interested in. And for us as a film production, the fascination with film sets and equipment hasn't waned. That's what people want to see. Not someone sitting in front of a screen prompting. They want to feel the real life. Which brings me to my final key factor. Authenticity. Things can go wrong. And that's exciting. That's why we love bloopers. They never make it in the final edit but we still watch them on YouTube. Yes, there is an uncertainty with AI too but the entertainment of adding an element that wasn't in the scene before like a third hand or the sixth finger is limited. the imperfect on real sets with real human beings is what connects us because we feel we are allowed to make mistakes. In this industry, this also means that with all the technological revolution there is another tool that we should never forget. The power of the analogue. Analogue media can offer a completely unique experience and should therefore never be underestimated. The cinema for example isn't dying. People still enjoy watching a film in a dark room full of strangers. Some of us even experienced it this weekend or on Wednesday at an open-air cinema which was amazing. Record players have a niche of their own and there is a market for those who love the scratchy sound of the needle. And while analogue photography is less widespread than smartphone photos the feeling of holding a real roll of film in your hand precisely because not every photo turns out well is exciting. It's unique. So a touch of nostalgia and the courage to experiment with different media formats can't hurt in our search for relevance. We are already seeing reactions to AI. Nostalgia is coming back. Analogue experiences are coming back. People want something real. There is a reason that we had this 2016 trend at the beginning of this year. It was a nostalgia resurgence driven by a desire to keep pandemic simplicity but also a reaction against modern AI-saturated content. Users were sharing memories of 2016 fashion trends, Snapchat filters and pop culture as a comforting escape from current uncertain times. Also right at the beginning of this month the Academy has announced that artificial intelligence will not be eligible to win Oscars without significant human involvement. That's huge. Under the new rules performances must be carried out by real actors with their consent and screenplays must be written by humans to qualify for awards. Yeah, I know, right? Thank God. There is hope. And it's not just the Academy. The artists themselves are drawing the line too. At the Gotham Awards in early December last year Guillermo del Toro spoke about his Frankenstein film. He called it, and I love this phrase, by humans for humans. Willfully. That word does a lot of work. It means this was a choice. Not a default. Not the cheapest option. Not the fastest path. A choice to put humans in front of the camera, behind the camera, in every frame. And maybe that's exactly where we are heading. A future where made by humans isn't the assumption anymore but it's a statement. A label. A value. And what is happening outside of Hollywood? Let's take a look at microdrama. Quick show of hands. Who here has heard of vertical microdramas or has even watched them? Maybe on ReelShort or on DramaBox? Yeah, okay, some of you have. So for those who haven't, imagine soap opera meets TikTok. Vertical, one to two minutes per episode, 60 to 100 episodes per series. Cliffhanger, at the end of every single one. You watch the first 10 for free and then you pay to keep going. That's how they get you addicted. The format started in China as Duanju and exploded globally in the last two years. ReelShort alone crossed $700 million in revenue in 2025. Netflix recently launched its vertical feed called Clips. And the Television Academy, so the Emmys, published a major feature on it in their magazine. Here you can see the landing page of ReelShort. And what do we have? Billionaire falls in love with cleaning lady or werewolf CEO marries his secretary. Revenge plots, secret babies, amnesia. You may laugh, but this is now an $8 billion business. And here's where it gets interesting for us. A traditional microdrama costs between $150,000 and $300,000 to produce. That usually means 3 to 10 days of shooting, real actors, real sets, real crews. Tight, but real. And then, AI entered the chat. A Ukrainian company called Holy Water, backed by Fox Entertainment, by the way, announced their goal for this year. 100 AI-generated shorts series per month. Not episodes, series. And a Korean platform called Vigloo released an AI-generated drama called Fire in Hell. And they said that they reduced their costs by 90%. And they gained 4 million views. And in China, the most impressive number, over 10,000 AI-generated microdrama titles are being released every month. I don't know who is watching all of them, but that means that their titles jumped from 7% of the country's top 100 charts, so basically the billboard of microdramas, to 38% in a single year. So is this the future? Cheap, fast, endless. Game over for human filmmakers. Thankfully, not quite. Because here's the part that stands out. Abby Zhang, US head of content of ReelShort, so the company that actually built this entire empire, said something remarkable. She said, and I can quote her here, AI has no place in the writer's room. So they use AI for dubbing, for subtitles, for VFX, but not for storytelling. Why? Because she knows what we also know. That AI is great at spectacle, at fantasy worlds, exaggerated plots, surreal humor, but it still struggles with nuance. With the small human moment. With the line that lands because someone meant it. And the audience? They are already feeling it. YouTube CEO, Neal Mohan, called reducing the spread of low quality AI content a priority for this year. TikTok has introduced a feature allowing users to reduce the amount of AI generated content in their for you feeds. So even the format that was supposedly built for AI, vertical, fast, cheap, disposable, the same pattern is showing up. Use AI for the machine work, but keep humans for the part that actually moves people. Willfully. And speaking of AI fails, let's talk about what happened to Sora. Quick recap for anyone who missed it, and I mean how could you? Sora is, or was, OpenAI's video generation tool. The big one. The flagship. It launched as an app in late 2025. Hit number one on the App Store over a million downloads in the first week. Everyone in our industry was watching it. And then two months ago, OpenAI killed it. And now, the Sora web and app were officially shut down by the end of April. What happened? The numbers are wild. After the massive launch, the user base peaked at around a million and then collapsed to fewer than 500,000. Apparently by this time, the app was burning roughly a million dollars a day in compute costs. And that means that every time someone generated a 10-second cat video, OpenAI was subsidizing it by about 99%. That's not a great business deal. And then there was Disney. They made a deal and had committed to a partnership with OpenAI. Star Wars characters, Marvel characters, officially licensed for Sora. Allegedly, Disney found out Sora was being killed less than an hour before the public did. Less than an hour. Some people online called it a rug-pull moment. And whether you use that phrase or not, the lesson is the same. If you had built your business model on Sora, your tool was gone overnight. If you had spent six months learning the prompts, mastering the quirks, building a workflow, that knowledge has an expiration date now. And this is the part I want us to sit with for a moment. Because we as filmmakers and as creatives are being told constantly, learn the tools, adapt or die. The future belongs to whoever moves fastest. And then the company that builds the tool decides on a Tuesday that it's not profitable enough. And the tool disappears on a Saturday. So when I said earlier, learn the rules like a pro so you can break them like an artist, there's a quiet second half to that. Learn the rules, but don't be the rules. The rules will change. The tools will change. The platform will change. Sora itself is being kept alive only as a research project for now. The tools will be dispersed away from creators towards something that they can actually monetize. Makes sense. The craft is what stays. The eye is what stays. The story you want to tell is what stays. The tool is rented. But the taste is yours. My three key takeaways to stay relevant in the age of AI are purely subjective perceptions. Knowledge, values, and authenticity. There is no recipe for guaranteed success, and there will never be a guide of how to go viral. I'd like to sum it up with my personal theory of relevance. Relevance is relative. Thank you, Einstein. It depends on three questions. What do you stand for? What do you want to change? And what do you want to achieve? If we focus on finding answers to these three questions, relevance, relevance will come naturally. Because this is how we create impact. And impact creates relevance. One of our editors, and also post-artist, and in this case AI director, Bettina, made a real impact at this year's AI Japan Film Festival. Because yes, of course, there are now numerous competitions for AI films. Her project is a pretty good visualization of the human connection. Let's have a look. Mary, possible high values salvage detected. Possible high values salvage detected. Initiate manual collection. Computer, what is this? It appears to be a toy from the 21st century. Despite its pleasant appearance, it serves no purpose for our mission. Where was I? I was on the Mariana Trench Explorer, number 5671. You are currently at a depth of 10,984 meters. No. I was on a beach. It was sunny. There is indeed sand outside. But there is no beach, Mary. Do you need a check-up or a full system reset? Perhaps some more gruel? No. No, thank you. Mary, the recovered object appears to be having an adverse effect on your system. Mary? Mary? Mary? Mary? Mary? Mary? Mary? Your behavior is becoming irrational. I strongly recommend a system reset to purge your short-term memories, Mary. No. No reset. I want to... remember. I know, I know, I know There is a place for me It is still one of the hardest tasks for AI designers, I'm sure many of you know, to create consistent character. And the longer the scenes, the harder it gets. Bettina mastered this. The skin looks fantastic. But at the same time, she and her writer Jennifer Thyme used this opportunity to tell a story of a robotic woman who only longs for this feeling of real life. And last but not least, one of the AI gods needs to be included in my presentation, obviously. About a year ago, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman sat down for a talk with head of TED, Chris Anderson, to discuss the astonishing growth of AI and shows how models like Chat-GPT could soon become extensions of ourselves. The conversation ends with Anderson asking him, What kind of world do you believe? All things considered, will your son grow up into? And this was his answer. I hope that my kids and all of your kids will look back at us with some pity and nostalgia and be like, They lived such horrible lives. They were so limited. The world sucked so much. I think that's great. Well, I don't think that's great. And I hope he's wrong. I hope that AI will never kill the video star, but that the image can still move us. Thank you.