Replacing cameras with code for the next generation of video communications by Natalie Monbiot

Automatic Summary

Shifting From Cameras To Code: The Next Era Of Video Production

Hello, I'm Natalie Wo, Head of Strategy at Hour One. Today I'm thrilled to discuss an exciting trend in video production, where we're shifting from cameras to code, all thanks to new artificial intelligence technologies.

The Evolution Of Video Production

The creation of cameras approximately 200 years ago was transformative and disruptive. However, since then, there hasn't been any significant innovation until now. It's important to note that traditional camera-dependent video production with its attendant crew, studios, actors, retakes, et al., can be expensive, time-consuming, and challenging to edit, limiting the amount that can be produced.

With the shift from cameras to code, video production sees the biggest change since the invention of cameras. Leveraging AI capabilities, we can now generate video content without logistical impediments associated with traditional video production processes. The expectation is that within the next 5 to 7 years, 90% of video content will be computer-generated.

The Commercial Opportunity And An Example

This shift creates a significant commercial opportunity for brands, as they can now generate a high volume of video content with ease. As an illustration, let's look at the example of Berlitz, a 150-year-old language school. They sought to take their famous Berlitz methodology online by creating online language courses with instructor-led content. They needed tens of thousands, eventually hundreds of thousands, of videos – an insurmountable task using traditional video processes. However, with AI-generated and code-based video production, they could easily create high volumes of content in a repeatable manner.

How Video Production With Code Works

Critical to the ability to produce videos using code and computers as against cameras are two innovations. Firstly, we transpose real people into digital realms, essentially cloning them. Once we have their permission and institute contractual relationships, we can generate new video content from text.

Secondly, we've commercialized this technology and process, offering a new way for people to license their likeness and earn income. This has been made possible by building an infrastructure that ensures people get paid when businesses use them in their videos.

Through our platform, businesses can access up to 100 avatars, all based on real people who have signed up to available for use in videos.

Introducing Further Advancements: A No-Code, Self-Service Product

A recent development in our technology is the conversion of the underlying code into a self-service, no-code product. This advancement allows anyone to create videos with zero video production or coding skills.

Simplifying it further is the just-in-time video creation process that happens fully automated within minutes. The diverse applications can range from creating your avatar or a virtual HR representative for training videos, and many more workplace use cases.

This advancement enables more presenter-led video communication, making it easier, more personal, and scalable – elements previously challenging to achieve.

Conclusion: The Dawn Of A Video-First Era

With this shift from cameras to code, we're entering a video-first era. Businesses can now transform any text-based media into engaging video content for their audiences. With a friendly face in your videos and more personalized communications that are scalable, it's an exciting new frontier in video production.

If you'd like to learn more about our breakthrough approach, please get in touch, check out Hour One, or connect with me on LinkedIn

FAQs From The Presentation

  1. Are all the characters computer-generated? Yes, they are designed to look lifelike, ensuring people can relate to them.
  2. Can you make these videos interactive? While currently, it behaves as any video does, we have plans to add more features like interactivity in our roadmap.
  3. Does it require basic skills to produce? No. Anyone can sign up for a free trial on our platform and start creating videos. We offer video subscription models starting as low as $79 a month.

Video Transcription

My name is Natalie Wo and I am the head of strategy at hour one and I'm here today to talk to you about a new and very exciting trend that's happening in video where we are shifting from cameras to code as a new means of being able to uh generate video.So what's happening is uh we are now entering the next era of video production. Uh So the interesting thing uh about cameras and when they were invented about 200 years ago, uh they were extremely disruptive and transformative and, but there hasn't really been any innovation since then.

Uh And R right now as we speak. Um This is happening thanks to uh new A I technologies. So we are seeing the biggest change in video since cameras were invented um more than 200 years ago. And this is important because uh as many of you probably know, creating video using cameras and all the things that come with a camera uh crew, you know, studio actors retakes all of that is actually very, it's, it's hard work. Uh It's expensive, it takes a long time, it's very difficult to edit. Uh And it just means that there's a limit to the amount of video that can be generated. But through these new A I processes and the ability to generate video content using code versus cameras and basically being able to bypass the whole photographic and studio um uh oriented process. It means that rather than necessarily replacing video and how videos created today, we're gonna see a lot more video. And in the next 5 to 7 years, 90% of video will actually be computer generated. And just to stress um that this doesn't, this doesn't replace the video that's already been created today in studios, which will be the highest quality type of video uh that will be generated for the foreseeable future.

But a lot more video will be made and there'll be a lot more video content in the world. And if we um I think probably all realize the effectiveness of video for businesses. And so this is a um a really interesting commercial opportunity for many brands. I'm just showing you um an example here as we were, we did a different accent and

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OK. So that's just a little clip um of some work that we've done with Belitz where they um if you are familiar with them, they are about 100 and 50 year old language uh company language school. And they wanted to uh take their uh famous Belitz Belitz methodology online to create uh online courses of instructor led content and they need to make tens of thousands and if not, in the end, hundreds of thousands of videos in order to be able to cover all of their courses and that's just impossible to create using nor the normal video processes.

But through A I generated and code based video production, they're actually able to create uh that degree of content in a very repeatable way. So that's just an example um of some of the uh benefits that code uh can bring. So um how do we even do this? Like, how do you create uh uh video using code and computers versus cameras? Well, that's a very novel uh aspect to this, which is that we transpose real people from um from the real world into the digital realm. So we essentially can clone people so that once we have a little bit of footage um at the beginning, we can then with their permission uh and through contractual relationships uh which we uh which is another really interesting part of this uh new cameras to code revolution. Uh we're able to then generate new content, video content just by um just from text. So about these new commercial models, uh some of this might sound a little um you know, uh frightening, you know, oh my goodness, you can clone people and they can, you know, deliver content just from lines of text. So, you know, how do we manage this, you know, aren't that bad at, you know, like how does this work?

Uh well, with the rise of um this new, these new technologies as in a same with any disruptive era, and I will go look back to the Napster era. Um and what was then illegal file sharing of music. Uh and the birth of MP Threes, that whole world then got commercialized by itunes and others. Uh in order to be able to uh put, you know, ethical uh models and commercial models around how this type of uh content can be made and used. So that's what we're doing today. Um This is just a snapshot of about 100. We have about 100 ready to go um avatars, you can call them on our platform. They're all based on real people and they've signed up to become an avatar on our ones platform and make themselves available for work. So we have contractual relationships with them and they get paid uh a micro payment every time a business chooses to use them to feature in their, in their videos such as um the, the burlet of videos that I that I referenced earlier. So what we're creating along with uh this sort of disruptive new technology is what, you know, commercializing um this area so that uh you know, we're actually creating um what we're in the process of creating a new way for people to actually license their likeness uh and make an income So it's pretty wild but it's happening.

Um And uh what we're really focused on is not just generating avatars so that they can appear in, in, in video content, but also building the infrastructure around it. Uh So that uh people get paid so that uh businesses can subscribe to these services. Uh So that all of this can happen in a really sanitized and also um a safe way. And once you put people uh in the digital realm and you know, uh turn them into avatars besides the ability to create unlimited amounts of video, because you can just create video from text, bypassing the whole photographic process. You can actually give humans superpowers like the ability to speak languages that they don't speak in real life. And I don't know if my audio is working well. So I'm just gonna do a little voice over here. This is my avatar speaking German, which is a language I do not speak speaking Mandarin, another language I don't speak. Um So that's a couple of examples uh there of things that can happen. And that's how, you know, for example, for Berlitz, they need to um teach in, teach uh courses in many different languages.

So the ability for a single um you know, a virtual instructor to be able to deliver content in different languages creates a nice seamlessness uh from a U uh from a user experience perspective as well. So I think I've explained um hopefully, you know, the transition from cameras to code and some of the, you know how we're doing that and uh some of the benefits of that. Well, actually what we're doing now, uh what we've done recently is actually turned that underlying code into a self service, no code product so that anybody can essentially go in with no skills, no P no um video production skills, no coding skills can go in and make videos for themselves.

And what that means is uh we can now enable just in time video creation because it's a fully automated process. Uh Anyone can go on there and subscribe uh to making videos uh for their business and um and it just happens in minutes. So here's a little um here's an example of that's my character who that you just saw um earlier speaking a few different languages, you can go into our system, select um the face you wanna use. And in this case, I'm selecting my own face, select a voice to match and then select a background. Um uh And, and basically, then you hit a button and in a few minutes uh that video generates. So you can now start to see different applications for the use of your own avatar or a stock character. In the case of if you just want virtual instructors or you want a virtual hr representative for training videos. Um All uh you know, there's, there's a number of different use cases. Uh But we very, we narrowly define um the, the use cases to business use cases. Uh So this is not a consumer product. This is really designed to help drive productivity um and effectiveness in the world of work through enabling more presenter led video uh which we've seen time and time again to be one of the most effective ways uh to communicate.

And it's just been until now just way too hard to do. Uh just to give you an example of a, of a recent um activation that we did with A I Nikki A I Nikki was uh well, Nikki was the uh the host at a tech conference and she wanted to create A I Nikki to help co-host the conference with her. And uh it was a hybrid conference where Nikki was presenting on stage in real life and A I Nikki was her companion on screen, but also because it was a hybrid conference was able to address a global audience in their languages. Um So that everybody felt kind of included, welcome our global audience. We're thrilled to have you

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So hopefully you could hear that. Uh That was a I Nikki speaking languages that she does not speak uh that Nicky does not speak in real life. So she's able to identify and personalize the experience uh for people in different from different cultures and different locations um around the world. And I'll just show you a quick video here which hopefully you can hear and if you can't, it doesn't matter too much. Uh But this is how um A I Nikki's content was, was generated. Uh So this is in our platform, our self platform, which I mentioned called grills. And again, you got a little peek of how I would create my own, my video, a video creating using my own avatar and is an A I company specializing in the development of virtual humans for using in the interest of time. I'm going to move on. Uh But basically what all of this means is that we are entering a video first era. Uh It's now possible to essentially replace, you know, where you see text communication and it being not as effective as you would like it to be, you can now essentially transform any text, which is really the opportunity any text based media and any static uh media um you know, enter it into a self service platform and generate videos for your business.

Um And uh pretty much on the fly uh so that you can have video first communications uh which are generally more friendly, especially if you uh have a friendly face uh in in these videos. And in the end, just to make um your communications more personalized and personal and at the same time as being scalable. So I'm gonna end there uh feel free to get in touch. Um You can check out more about what we're up to at hour one dot A I and you can feel free to uh connect with me on linkedin. Now, I'm going to uh go back into the platform and uh hopefully people, OK, could see that and I'm gonna stop sharing if I know how to do that. Let's see. Um OK, I think I stopped sharing. OK, great. I see some uh I've got just a few minutes left. Um I'm just gonna go through here. I think you need to change the type of presenter mode and not standard. OK. I um are all the characters computer generated? Yes, they are. Uh And they look lifelike uh because that's really how we design them to be because uh people relate to other people. So we want our characters to be lifelike. Uh We do signal within the frame uh that the video has been computer generated.

We're not in the business of wanting to um to pretend that, you know, the video was actually captured the traditional way. Uh So we think disclosure is important. Um But yes, it is interesting. I see. Um Sarah um making the point here, this is one of my favorite things about the business that we're in is that we're creating new ways to make an income and new commercial models. And who knows where that will lead uh in the future if this whole business, not just with us, but the whole industry continues to progress. This could well be a way um that everyday people can make an extra income. Indeed, a new type of acting gig for people who may be actors to begin with. But this is, but we, but what we're trying to do is actually have more like everyday faces to represent the actual population of consumers out there. So uh we really do um you know, look for a range of everyday people who might be waitressing on the side or students or, you know, whatever, you know, reason that you would have uh a gig work. Yes. Uh Betsy New hire trainings. This is absolutely uh a bang on use case uh just to kind of lift that content and make it more fun and engaging uh and transform it from static to video pretty instantly uh with, you know, with, with, with, with a persona inside it.

Is there a way to make these interactive final question here and then we're out of time? Uh Yeah, so basically the content, the video behaves as video. So there is the ability to um um drop it into interactive platforms uh in the, you know, it's uh if you have an L and D platform that you use, you can do that. And actually in our road map, you're gonna see a lot more uh features like interactivity built in. Um But it is a video file. Uh but to the extent that which you can interact with video, you'll be able to interact with our videos as well. OK. Let's see if I get cut off uh robotics and my robots can speak more than 100 languages. Um Yeah, so they're not, they, they are in video, as I mentioned. Uh they're not uh but they can be programmed in a way to uh have a kind of a live sort of chatbot kind of experience. Any which way you can, you can program the videos, put videos in decision trees, there's lots of ways to deploy them to make them more interactive and I think we are out of time. Uh Thanks so much for the questions and feel free to uh uh reach out.

Does it require basic skills to learn to produce? No, you need no skills at all. Um In fact, if you would like to give it a go, you can go to app uh or put it in the chat, you can do it here at dot reals dot A I and you can actually um get started for free there. Uh The model is a uh subscription video subscription model and it starts, I believe as low as $79 a month. Uh So you can get started at a very low threshold. Uh And um you know, if it's working for you, you can scale up from there, but I do encourage you to go to App dot Real, uh, um, uh, real dot A I, which you can also find via our website at hour one dot A I. And you can actually sign up for a free trial there. So thank you very much. Everybody really appreciate the questions and, um, dealing with my, uh, dealing with, uh, some of the technical issues at the beginning. I appreciate it. Goodbye.