Automatic video cutting at SWR - findings for the use case 'news clips'

Abstract

SWR recognises the significant potential inherent in the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to fulfil its mission as a public service media (PSM) broadcaster of ARD, and to actualise its vision of becoming the preeminent journalistic media entity in southwestern Germany. Between February and November 2024, SWR investigated the extent to which AI could be utilised to automate video production workflows using News in Film (NiF). The paper presents the findings from a ten-month test phase conducted by an interdisciplinary team and Television.AI. The text offers technical insights into the process of AI-assisted NiF creation and the integration of Television.AI’s solution into Adobe Premiere Pro. Furthermore, the results of the evaluation of the NiF in terms of quality, as well as its effectiveness and efficiency in production, are presented. In consideration of the findings, this paper proposes approaches and perspectives for automated video cutting at SWR and ARD.