A Strategic Research Agenda on AI for the Media Industry

Motivated by the opportunities, challenges, and risks that the wide use of AI brings to media, society and politics, the AI4Media project has built a wide Network of researchers across Europe and beyond, with a focus on delivering the next generation of core AI advances to serve the key sector of Media, making sure that the European values of ethical and trustworthy AI are embedded in future AI deployments, and reimagining AI as a beneficial enabling technology in the service of Society and Media. 

Towards this end, AI4Media has developed a Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) on AI for the Media Industry that lays out the strategic plan for AI4Media's R&I activities, presenting the main research themes to be tackled by the consortium, explaining the current challenges, the research directions that need to be pursued to address them, the media industry applications, and the potential impact of this research. 

The first version of the AI4Media Strategic Research Agenda was released in March 2023. An updated version is released in July 2024 aiming to reflect the significant progress made in the last year and a half with regard to Generative AI, fueled by the widespread adoption of Large Language Models and the rise of Large Multimodal Models. This new wave of AI innovation offers amazing opportunities for the media but at the same time raises significant concerns about its impact on creative industries, society, democracy, environment, etc. These aspects are explored in a new section dedicated to Generative AI and LLMs that examines legal, ethical and societal aspects, key technology trends, and relevant media and creative industry applications.

SRA contents

The AI4Media Strategic Research Agenda comprises the following elements: 

• An AI for Media Observatory to monitor the AI policy/regulatory landscape, AI societal impact, and AI technology trends, providing insights, analyses and recommendations for policymakers, industry and researchers. 
• Research on four core AI areas that will help reinforce and extend Europe's expertise in AI for Media. These include: new machine learning paradigms, trustworthy AI, content- centered AI, and human/society-centered AI. 
• Research on Generative AI: A new section dedicated to GenAI and LLMs that examines legal, ethical and societal aspects, key technology trends, and relevant media and creative industry applications. 
• Real-world case studies showcasing how to transform AI research into practical applications for the media industry with concrete impact to society and the economy. 
• AI education and AI skills development through the establishment of a prestigious European PhD programme on AI, a flexible mobility program, and open calls for funding research labs and SMEs working on media AI.

The full version of the AI4Media SRA is available on the project website: https://www.ai4media.eu/strategic-research-agenda-on-ai-for-the-media-industry/ 

Conclusion

We hope that the AI4Media Strategic Research Agenda on AI for the Media Industry becomes a useful tool for AI researchers, media practitioners and policymakers.

We look forward to discussing any questions or ideas that you have. Do not hesitate to write to us on the comments section below, send as an email or reach out through our social media!

This blogpost has been co-authored by 

• Dr Filareti Tsalakanidou, AI4Media Project Manager and Research Associate in the Information Technologies Institute, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Greece, and 
• Dr Yiannis Kompatsiaris, AI4Media Coordinator and Director of the Information Technologies Institute, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Greece.

Blogpost authors:

Dr Filareti Tsalakanidou

AI4Media Project Manager 

Research Associate in the Information Technologies Institute, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Greece

Dr Yiannis Kompatsiaris

AI4Media Coordinator 

Director of the Information Technologies Institute, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Greece

How to contact us

Website: https://www.ai4media.eu/, Email: info@ai4media.eu 

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Acknowledgment

AI4Media has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 951911.