Is There a Role for AI in AV?   

As a technology wave, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already in the early days of transforming both industries and use cases. From our vantage point, it’s clear that the Pro AV domain is not an exception. 

And the experts agree.

In this podcast episode, Joe Pham of QSC talks about how AI and AV are coming together. According to Joe, AI “technology is essential for video conferencing, using cameras that automatically switch, track, and crop so that someone on the far end feels like they are in the room.” Further, Pham emphasizes why AV professionals must leverage the power of AI in applications such as computer vision and cloud monitoring.

As AI and machine learning modernize various application areas across the AV industry, they create clear opportunities for innovation and operational improvements. Applications range from enabling personalized customer experiences to driving smart strategies for the predictive maintenance of sophisticated equipment. No wonder then that globally, this market is set to grow to $7.92 billion by 2029. 

Let’s talk about 5 potential applications of AI technology in the AV domain:

1. Meeting rooms

This is an application area that most employees enterprises have already seen (and embraced) the positive change. Video conferences are now more immersive, inclusive, and capable of delivering consistent experiences irrespective of employee location. For instance, AI-powered computer vision is effective for automating camera movements in physical meeting rooms while also adjusting the room lighting. In addition to room lighting, AI-enabled algorithms can adjust the room temperature and even operate AV-powered equipment.

With “virtual” meeting rooms, AI technology is enabling remote teams to collaborate seamlessly through video conferencing and automatic language translation. Among the latest innovations, AI-powered Copilot in MS Teams is enabling “smart” collaboration and enhancing the meeting experience.

For future reference, AI can also analyze meeting-related data – such as the number of attendees and their preferences – to customize the overall experience.

2. Content creation

AI-powered algorithms are also powering intelligent content creation in domains linked to the AV-driven content dissemination. For instance, AI can streamline video editing tasks like scene recognition and content labelling. 

Additionally, AI technology can analyze massive volumes of the user’s behavioural data and recommend relevant AV content to engage with the audience. This application is particularly relevant in AV applications like digital signage and interactive displays. Similarly, in the educational sector, AI-powered solutions can adapt learning content to meet the student’s needs and enable remote learning environments.

3. Predictive maintenance

With AI-powered predictive maintenance, companies can reduce their maintenance costs and downtime of AV equipment. With connected sensors, AI algorithms can predict machine failures by continuously monitoring their health and performance.

Similarly, AI-enabled diagnostics provide real-time insights into operational AV equipment, thereby improving the troubleshooting process. With this proactive approach, companies can lengthen the service life of their AV equipment and reduce maintenance costs in the long run.  

Among the latest innovations, AI technology is powering remote maintenance by analyzing equipment data collected from IoT-enabled sensors.

4. Immersive AV experiences

In an experience-driven environment, immersive AV has become strategic for enterprises to:

• Captivate and engage their audience.
• Build a competitive brand advantage in a saturated market.
• Boost their brand perception.
• Enable efficient workforce communication and collaboration.

In this regard, AI technology – along with virtual and augmented reality (AR/ VR)– can build an immersive and engaging experience. This technology is transforming AR and VR experiences by:

• Generating a realistic “virtual” 3D environment.
• Generating digital avatars to emulate real-life characters.
• Enabling identification of real-life objects in the virtual world.

AI can also deliver an improved AV experience by using its algorithms to reduce surrounding noise and improve image quality.

5. Intelligent rooms

Much beyond controlling room lighting and temperature, AI-powered rooms can build spaces customized to individual needs. For instance, an intelligent room can automatically focus its camera on the speaker – irrespective of its location. Further, AI-enabled commands in natural language can help speakers navigate and operate their AV equipment – using their voice or gestures. When integrated into AV equipment, smart sensors can automatically change settings and monitor energy consumption.

Limitations of AI in the AV domain

No doubt, AI solutions have experienced significant adoption and growth in the AV industry in recent years. That said, AI does have its share of limitations when it comes to AV use cases. Among the main limitations, AI-powered models need to be trained on high-quality data, which could be a challenge for companies implementing AV solutions.

Additionally, inaccurate or “biased” data can cause AI models to deliver biased or prejudiced outputs. In the creative AV domain, AI is also an ethical concern related to job loss and data privacy. 

Besides these limitations, AI-generated content for AV users may lack human elements such as:

• Creativity
• “Out of the Box” thinking
• The uniqueness of individual human perspectives

While AI technology is adept at analyzing specific data, it can often struggle to understand the broader context of a use case (or situation). This limitation can prove damaging when making critical business decisions in the fast-evolving AV industry.

In summary

As pointed out by Joe Pham, the AV industry is currently experiencing the initial phase of the AI lifecycle. As it continues to evolve, AI-enabled AV systems will enhance the human experience and transform business outcomes. Pham recommends AV professionals to “get off from zero” and start learning and capitalizing on AI capabilities.

Optimized for hybrid meetings, the MS Teams Rooms Pro solution creates intelligent inclusive meeting spaces by leveraging AI technology. As an implementation partner for MS Teams, Resurgent can help you integrate AI into your audiovisual solution. 

Learn how to streamline your virtual meetings using AI capabilities. Book a consultation with us today.