The UK’s screen sector needs to build skills complementary to AI if it wants to future-proof its creative workforce and maintain its competitive edge in the global screen economy warns a report from the BFI.
AI in the Screen Sector: Perspectives and Paths Forward, analyses how the screen sector is using and experimenting with generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. It sets out a roadmap to help the UK capitalise on its creative strengths.
The report sets out nine recommendations, to be delivered in the next three years, which it says will help the UK remain “in the vanguard of innovation”.
They include:
- Develop the sector to build skills complementary to AI
- Support cross-discipline collaboration to deliver market-preferred, ethical AI products
- Embed data-driven guidelines to minimise carbon impact of AI
- Enable UK creative industry strategies through world-class intelligence
- Boost the UK’s strong digital content production sector to adapt and grow
- Empower UK creatives to develop AI-supported independent creativity
In terms of skills, the report suggests there is a “critical shortfall” in AI training provision, with AI education in the UK screen sector currently more ‘informal’ than ‘formal’.
It adds that many workers – particularly freelancers – lack access to resources that would support them to develop skills complementary to AI. However, it adds, the UK is well-positioned to lead in AI upskilling due to its strong base of AI research institutions, creative workforce, and a blending of technology and storytelling expertise. “By helping workers transition into AI-augmented roles, the UK can future-proof its creative workforce and maintain its competitive edge in the global screen economy,” the report states.
The report also calls for a “shared infrastructure for horizon scanning, knowledge exchange, and alignment” to help the industry respond cohesively to disruption. The BFI has proposed creating an ‘AI observatory’ and ‘tech demonstrator hub’ to provide hands-on experience of emerging tools and capabilities. The proposal has been endorsed by the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee.
Speaking about the report, Rishi Coupland, the BFI’s director of research and innovation said: “AI has long been an established part of the screen sector’s creative toolkit, most recently seen in the post production of the Oscar®-winning The Brutalist, and its rapid advancement is attracting multi-million investments in technology innovator applications. However, our report comes at a critical time and shows how generative AI presents an inflection point for the sector and, as a sector, we need to act quickly on a number of key strategic fronts.
“Whilst it offers significant opportunities for the screen sector such as speeding up production workflows, democratising content creation and empowering new voices, it could also erode traditional business models, displace skilled workers, and undermine public trust in screen content. The report’s recommendations provide a roadmap to how we can ensure that the UK’s world-leading film, TV, video games and VFX industries continue to thrive by making best use of AI technologies to bring their creativity, innovations and storytelling to screens around the globe.”
The full report is available to download here.
