MAM
The way in which AI is changing the “hidden labor” behind the content of entertainment
Artificial intelligence is a topic that is frequently discussed in terms of “spectacle,” and this means that people tend to think about the images that have been produced, the voice that has been generated, and the predictions that have been made about the potential of machines replacing the jobs of creatives.. In reality, one of the most interesting shifts is happening in a less obvious part of the media world. AI is changing the hidden labor behind entertainment content, the practical work that happens before a story, promo, clip, or campaign reaches the audience.
That shift becomes easier to notice when looking at the daily routines inside production and marketing teams. A streaming release, celebrity interview, music launch, or television promo now has to live across many formats at once. Visual preparation, fast editing, asset cleanup, and image adjustments all matter more than they did a few years ago, and this is where tools connected to remove background fit naturally into the conversation. They show how AI has moved into the background of media work, where it helps shape the speed, consistency, and visual language of modern entertainment.
The Entertainment Industry Runs on More Than Big Creative Ideas
The end product that the public consumes is the finished product. They see a poster, a small image, a brief promo video, a still image, or a social media post. They don’t see the behind-the-scenes labor that goes into the preparation of this content. They don’t see the many different versions of the image that have been prepared for different websites, different mobile interfaces, different streaming interfaces, and different press kits.
This is when the practical application of AI comes in. It supports the repetitive visual tasks that used to absorb a large share of time. Background cleanup, subject isolation, formatting assistance, smart resizing, and automated enhancement may sound like small actions on their own, but together they shape how quickly a campaign can move from rough material to public release.
That matters because entertainment now works in overlapping cycles. A trailer leads to social clips. Social clips lead to stills. Stills lead to articles, banners, and platform previews. The same content needs to look strong in many places, often within very short time windows. AI helps teams keep up with that pressure without turning every routine step into a bottleneck.
Why the Real AI Story in Media Is About Volume
One of the least discussed pressures in entertainment media is volume. Teams are not simply making one good piece of content. They are creating families of content. A TV series launch today may require a homepage image, a vertical promo, a YouTube cover, cast portraits, article art, behind-the-scenes visuals, and platform-specific variants for regional distribution.
This is where AI has changed the economics of attention. The issue is not only whether a team can create a polished asset. The issue is whether they can create many polished assets without losing coherence. AI-powered assistance gives production teams more room to handle this expansion.
A few examples make the shift clearer:
● entertainment editors can clean and prepare supporting visuals more quickly
● promo teams can adapt image assets for multiple formats in less time
● digital newsrooms can publish faster when visuals need light processing
● branded content units can prepare sponsor-ready materials with fewer delays
This does not remove the need for designers or editors. It changes how their time is used. Instead of spending long hours on repetitive prep work, they can focus more on visual priorities, campaign tone, and platform fit.
That is one reason AI feels especially relevant in entertainment and media technology. This industry runs on deadlines, but it also runs on repetition. Any tool that reduces friction inside repeated tasks can affect output far more than it first appears.
AI Is Influencing Editorial Packaging
There is another angle that deserves more attention: AI is influencing how stories are packaged, not just how they are produced. In entertainment coverage, presentation has become almost inseparable from editorial reach. A news item about a show launch or creator deal may be accurate and timely, but its visibility often depends on the strength of its supporting visual format.
This means packaging is no longer a secondary layer. It is part of the editorial strategy. This is when the practical application of AI comes in. It is when the “packaging” of the content becomes easier because of the assistance that has been given in the preparation of the images.
The effect is especially strong in areas such as:
● OTT platform announcements
● celebrity and talent coverage
● music releases and promotional campaigns
● television show launches and event-based content
In these spaces, timing and visual readiness often define performance. This is why AI is useful: it helps close the gap between editorial intent and publishable execution.
This is also why AI is becoming part of the normal conversation when it comes to news promos. The discussion is no longer limited to futuristic experiments. It now includes ordinary questions such as how quickly a team can prepare artwork, how many visual versions they can test, and how consistently a campaign can be carried across channels.
What This Means for Smaller Media Players
Large entertainment brands have had access to more people and more production capability for a long time. AI is changing the game for small publishers, small studios, individual producers, and small entertainment brands. It’s providing them with something that will help their output compete from a visual standpoint.
That does not guarantee equal reach, but it does reduce some long-standing disadvantages. A smaller team can now handle certain visual tasks with greater speed and consistency. That makes it easier to maintain a strong publishing rhythm, support stories with polished assets, and react to trends before they fade.
This may be one of the most important consequences of AI in media technology. It opens room for more players to look prepared and credible in environments that once favored only the most heavily staffed organizations.
Still, there is a limit to automation. Taste remains human. Context remains human. Editorial judgment remains human. An AI-assisted asset may be technically clean, yet still feel generic, awkward, or tonally off. Entertainment audiences are sensitive to presentation, and poor visual instinct becomes obvious quickly.
That is why the strongest use of AI in this space is selective. Teams benefit most when they use it to handle structure, repetition, and first-pass execution, while keeping human attention on style, meaning, and consistency.
The Future of AI in Entertainment Will Feel Ordinary
The most lasting technology shifts usually stop feeling dramatic. They become normal. That is likely what will happen with AI across media production and entertainment publishing. Rather than being talked about as a novelty, it will be part of the normal infrastructure alongside editing suites, scheduling systems, media libraries, and content management systems.
The point to note is that AI is already affecting the labor that goes into modern entertainment. It is helping teams deal with scale, speed, and visual fragmentation. It is making it easier to transform one core idea into many usable assets. It is giving production and editorial teams more flexibility in moments when timing matters most.
From the outside, this may seem like a technical adjustment. Inside the industry, however, it is an even larger concept. It alters the way work is distributed, the speed at which ideas are pushed through the system, and the number of finished versions of the story that can exist at any given time. In an entertainment media environment that is characterized by constant publication, such an evolution cannot help but catch the eye.
The conversation about AI and technology in media and entertainment often veers into the realm of hyperbole. Perhaps the most telling approach, however, is the small print. The real revolution is happening behind the scenes, in the workflows, in the preparation of assets, and in the packaging of the work itself.
MAM
VML India lands two finalist spots at Cairns Hatchlings 2026
The Mumbai agency is back in Australia with two teams, a UN brief and 24 hours to impress
MUMBAI: VML India is heading to Australia again. The Mumbai-based creative agency has secured two finalist spots at the Cairns Hatchlings 2026 competition, one in the Audio category and one in Design, making it the only Indian agency to have reached the finals in both editions of the contest since its launch in 2025.
Four people will make the trip. Senior copywriter Shilpi Dey and senior art director Raj Thakkar will compete in Audio. Art directors Shabbir and Shruti Negi will go head-to-head with the world’s best in Design. The finals take place at the Cairns Convention Centre from 13th May, culminating in an awards ceremony on 15th May.
The work that got them there is worth examining. For the Audio category, Dey and Thakkar tackled a brief for LIVE LIKE MMAD with a campaign called Inner Voice, Interrupted. Using spatial audio techniques, the campaign recreates the overwhelming self-doubt that descends after a long workday, physically panning negative thoughts left and right before cutting the noise entirely to reveal a confident inner voice. Strategically targeted at commuters via Spotify during evening rush hours, the campaign reframes the hours after work as an opportunity for personal growth and charitable action.
For the Design category, Shabbir and Negi worked on a brief for Canteen’s Bandanna Day, a campaign highlighting how cancer pushes teenagers out of their own defining moments. Using a pixelated design language to create stark contrast between a blurred world of isolation and a focused world of connection, the campaign, titled The Flipside of Cancer, shows teenagers fading into the background of birthdays, skateparks and school proms. As a Canteen bandanna appears, the blur flips and the teenager snaps back into sharp focus.
Kalpesh Patankar, group chief creative officer of VML India, made no attempt to disguise his satisfaction. “We are immensely proud to see our teams consistently excel on the Cairns Hatchlings platform since its inception,” he said. “They have masterfully tackled challenging briefs across diverse categories, demonstrating both layered storytelling and a unique creative approach. This exceptional teamwork is truly inspiring.”
Dey and Thakkar, returning to the finals after last year’s run, were candid about the demands of the audio medium. “It’s one of the most demanding mediums, where we only have a few seconds to capture a listener’s world with sound alone, so absolute clarity is essential,” they said. “The true measure of creative work is its ability to create positive change, and our audio submission was made to help those who need it most while encouraging people to silence the inner voices that hold them back.”
Shabbir and Negi, competing in Design for the first time, described the experience as “a completely different beast.” “We see it as an opportunity to showcase our expertise, raise the bar, and challenge ourselves in new ways, while also learning from creative minds from across the globe,” they said.
In Australia, the four finalists will face a live 24-hour brief from the United Nations before presenting in a live pitch session. Twenty-four hours, one brief, one shot. VML India has been here before. It knows exactly what is at stake.
