The rapid but unpredictable rise of AI is making it harder than ever for companies in broadcast & media to predict their future skills requirements – but that shouldn’t be a reason to fall into despondency, discovers David Davies.
The consensus view is that broadcast & media has been facing an increasingly serious skills crisis for several years now. In particular, the combination of limited access to training in some technical disciplines and the retirement of a generation of senior engineers has yielded a ‘perfect storm’ of challenges that will afflict broadcasters for the next decade at least.
To that mix one can now add the rapid but deeply unpredictable rise of AI. The likely impact on some roles – for instance, basic editing and the more repetitive aspects of localisation – isn’t too hard to predict. But with new applications emerging all the time, and meaningful regulation only beginning to emerge (led by the EU, which has just reached provision agreement on new legislation) – let alone gain parity with the pace of innovation – taking the long view is increasingly challenging...
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IBC2026: What to look out for on Day 1
From 11 to 14 September 2026, IBC2026 will open its doors to the international media and entertainment industry.
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