The Consumer Technology Association (CTA)® Content and Entertainment Council focuses on uniting the entertainment and consumer technology industries to bring new and innovative technologies to market.

Content and Entertainment Council member Tony Driscoll, senior vice president of Emerging Technology Strategy & Data Services at Warner Bros. Entertainment, talked to us about the innovation being brought about by COVID-19, artificial intelligence (AI) in entertainment and more.

You’ve mentioned that COVID-19 has accelerated innovation in the industry and prompted leaders to try solutions that otherwise would have taken much longer to implement. C Space at CES® showcases innovations that change the way we tell stories and make films. What innovations have proven helpful as you try new approaches to storytelling and filmmaking?

Our Storytelling Technology Innovation team focuses on advancing the art of storytelling through the development of new storytelling formats, experience types and the technologies that enable them. Additionally, we’re partnering closely with our production technology and other teams to help our colleagues and content creators adapt to this extraordinary moment that we find ourselves in.

To help production teams and creators adapt to COVID-19, our teams have implemented a wide range of technologies, from digitizing paper-based work flows and digital health screeners to remote editorial and even installing business-quality internet connections in the homes of key talent. We’re also increasing usage of virtual production technologies like virtual location scouts and on-set LEDs, which can create virtual environments.

In terms of the longer view, we believe technologies like 5G, edge computing, real-time rendering, AI, low-cost performance capture and XR are going to enable increasingly interactive and immersive entertainment. There will be a lot of exciting possibilities to engage directly with our fans as these technologies come together and complement traditional forms of entertainment.

What changes due to COVID-19 do you think will persist after we’re able to begin socializing normally? How do you expect the industry will adapt to new consumer expectations?

Fan engagement through things like in-game events, like Fortnite live events and concerts, were part of the landscape before COVID-19 and are here to stay when a new normal is established. Being part of a virtual community and collective global experience can be powerful, and of course we’re already seeing a lot of artists and brands involved.

The advanced technologies on the horizon will make it easier to get fans closer to the stories that they love, and I think storytellers will embrace the opportunity to have a more direct connection with their audiences. We’re already using these platforms as part of our fan engagement. Earlier this summer, we premiered a new trailer for Warner Bros. Pictures’ upcoming Christopher Nolan film Tenet in Fortnite.

Can you tell us more about how AI will help the industry delight consumers and tailor content to their specific desire? What other applications do you foresee for this technology?

There’s a wide variety of areas where AI can help create more engaging customer experiences and may be able to help create content that’s more unique and specific to different customer tastes. As the industry creates more and more content, recommendation engines will play an even more important role in helping consumers find content specific to their tastes or mood.

Pushing this a bit further, techniques like intelligent tagging will help us better understand the content itself and what in the content is appealing to customers, allowing us to then create content that appeals to more nuanced tastes. Within the content itself, AI is also giving us the ability to grow the ways in which we engage with our favorite characters. We may soon be able to power the creation of photorealistic virtual humans and virtual voices that can interact with our audiences. As these technologies become cheaper and faster to implement, they may power a whole new generation of content.

What advice would you give to other organizations as they think about how to prepare for the future?

Generally speaking, it’s clear that fans will continue to seek out engaging linear storytelling, but they are also increasingly interested in connecting with each other and in creating themselves. Successful strategies will likely be those that contemplate a broader universe of engagement models that empower fans to consume, connect and create on their terms.

Hear from Tony Driscoll and learn more about the content ecosystem at CTA’s Technology & Standards Fall Forum, a digital event.