Many people of a sure age will bear in mind the Alan Partridge scene the place he’s pitching to a TV govt in a bid to get a brand new sequence commissioned.
Getting ever extra determined, the fictional British TV presenter suggests exhibits equivalent to Interior Metropolis Sumo, Youth Hostelling With Chris Eubanks, and at last, Monkey Tennis. All have been maybe unsurprisingly rejected.
Perhaps Partridge, performed by comic and actor Steve Coogan, would have had higher luck if he had let a man-made intelligence (AI) laptop system decide the concepts.
That will initially sound like a extremely fanciful thought, however a variety of TV manufacturing corporations have already introduced that they’re utilizing AI to assist them dream up new programmes.
These embody RTL Group, whose subsidiaries make every thing from The X Issue, to The Apprentice, Grand Designs and QI. It mentioned final yr that it had “began to assist content material creation with generative AI.”, exterior
In the meantime, Banijay, which makes Deal or No Deal and Protecting Up with the Kardashians, now has a fund to again AI-created content material. Saying this final yr,, exterior it mentioned: “Whereas human creativity will all the time prevail, it is necessary to work alongside the instruments which can be found to contribute to the way forward for ground-breaking leisure.”
Whereas neither agency has but to unveil a brand new TV sequence whose thought got here from an AI system, I made a decision to place one to the take a look at.
So I logged into an AI chatbot, and typed in what I used to be searching for. I wrote: “I’m making an attempt to suppose up a brand new TV format. A sequence with contestants.
“Perhaps they’d be studying a brand new talent, like dancing, or maybe they’re making an attempt to compete in communities to have essentially the most sustainable setting. Are you able to assist me with some concepts?”
The AI confirms that this may very well be an thrilling endeavour. And immediately comes up with six concepts.
I like its first suggestion – Expertise Mastery Showdown – the place contestants could be paired with expert mentors, and have a restricted time to grasp a selected new talent, equivalent to dancing, cooking or portray.
