CTO’s lean on AI to reshape business strategy

Damian Cronan, Chief Digital Information Officer, ABC, said, “Trust in us as an institution is central to our relationship with the Australian public. We are leaning into AI but maybe slowly. It’s a carefully considered, calibrated approach.” 

ABC has spent the past year building an AI governance framework and rolling out Claude to more than 5,000 staff, supported by training and an internal model tuned to ABC editorial values. AI is already powering automatic transcription, improved online discoverability and the broadcaster’s vast AI‑powered archive, which surfaces half a million hours of video and 400,000 hours of audio. 

Cronan said AI is also giving traditional radio bulletins a “second digital life,” generating online versions while keeping human journalists at the centre. 

“We’re not about replacing humans. Human origination is the differentiator. If everyone’s just generating content from AI, what makes you unique?” 

OBS: “AI is now critical to handling that volume” 

Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) is now using AI across almost every layer of its production pipeline, from automated highlights to real‑time computer‑vision analysis, according to Sotiris Salamouris, Chief Technology Officer.   

“For an Olympics we produce several thousand hours of content in just two weeks. Paris 2024 delivered 11,000 hours, while the upcoming Milano Cortina Winter Games will exceed 6,500 hours. AI is now critical to handling that volume.” 

A key use for AI is compiling highlights fully automatically. Salamouris explained. “We can generate the top ten actions of a match or the best moments of an athlete. It saves a lot of time in post‑production and enhances the type of content we can deliver.” 

OBS is also deploying computer vision systems, developed with Omega, to analyse performance in real time. Figure skating is a flagship example. 

“Computer vision can measure the speed and take-off of a jump, height in the air, speed at landing,” he said. “It’s very fast turnaround, and we’re using it for the first time.” 

These systems feed directly into OBS’s multi‑camera setups, enabling producers to surface key moments instantly. 

OBS has built AutoNarrate, a generative‑AI tool that watches the live feed and produces instant summaries. 

“You can search at any time, even during competition, to get a quick recap of what’s going on,” Salamouris said. “You can follow multiple transmissions without watching the whole match.” 

OBS has been working with AI since 2018, but Salamouris said the organisation follows a strict framework to manage AI. Enablement is about the audience sees through tracking, trajectories and immersive replays. Engagement is about transforming the live feed into multiple highlights, formats and storylines. Efficiency is the use of AI to streamline planning and operations. 

“We wanted an approach that helps us navigate opportunities and avoid overspending,” he said. “We now have around 50 AI projects across OBS and Olympic Channel Services.” 

The goal, he added, is not to replace human production but to enhance it. 

“AI helps us do things we couldn’t do before — explain sports better, engage audiences more, and make our workflows more efficient.”