Survey Data: Do Consumers Want Gen AI in Entertainment Content?

Note: This article relates to the June 2024 VIP+ special report “Generative AI in Film & TV,” available only to subscribers.

U.S. consumers are divided about employing generative AI to assist or produce creative material used in film and TV production, according to a survey developed by Variety Intelligence Platform in collaboration with HarrisX, fielded online by HarrisX among 1,001 U.S. adults May 2-13, 2024.

While about 2 in 10 consumers express interest in engaging with various AI-assisted media, consumers are still more likely to be less interested in generative AI being used to assist in creating the content they consume.

SEE ALSO: Exclusive Survey Results on What Media & Entertainment Execs Really Think About Using Gen AI

For example, 36% say they would be less interested in watching a movie or TV show if they knew it was written using generative AI, versus 23% who said they would be more interested.

Yet consumer acceptance likely differs depending on consumers’ own familiarity with generative AI tools. In general, those who report regularly using gen AI tools are also more likely to feel positively toward the use of AI-generated material in varied types of media content, according to recent FTI Delta survey data shared with VIP+.

For example, consumers who said they use AI tools and have one or two paid subscriptions rate their perception of AI-produced content being integrated in movies and TV shows at 3.68, on average, on a scale of 1 (extremely negative) to 5 (extremely positive). That’s compared with 2.53 among consumers who said they have no interest in using AI tools.

Similarly, consumers may be more accepting of gen AI being used for specific aspects of production. In the making of film and TV, consumer comfort levels are higher for the use of AI to create sound effects, illustrations for animation and special or visual effects, according to our HarrisX/VIP+ survey.

Interestingly, consumers are also more ready to accept AI dubs when the tech brings novel improvements to the content experience, such as by replicating the voice of the original actor or when performances are lip-synced with a dubbed voice track.

On threat of backlash, studios have avoided disclosing if and how the tech has been used, though this will be a growing area of deliberation.

Backlash has already reared whenever it’s surfaced that gen AI was used, whether in film and TV imagery or even in promotional content:

Ultimately, consumers will be among the most relevant arbiters of future decisions about generative AI use in the production of media and entertainment content, as they define the market for content. Consumer acceptance is likely to fluctuate with evolving awareness about gen AI capabilities.

Variety VIP+ Explores Gen AI From All Angles — Pick a Story

Read on for additional survey data and in-depth analysis of how generative AI is being used and considered in film and TV production. The full 31-page report features a six-page section of charts from original quantitative surveys fielded among 1,001 U.S. consumers, 308 media and entertainment workers and 150 M&E decision makers. Those decision makers included C-suite executives (41%), leaders at the VP level or above (7%), directors (21%) and managers (31%).

Now dig into the VIP+ subscriber report …