How EIKON makes smart use of AI to power media workflow efficiency

It may seem that the media and entertainment industry is saturated with artificial intelligence (AI). In truth, there is a lot of confusion about the technology’s use and practical benefits. AI, generative AI and automation tend to be used interchangeably and vendor marketing is often to blame. EIKON believes in cutting through the smoke and mirrors.

“We are demonstrating how smart use of AI can be used today to ramp up efficiencies and enhance the execution of complex media deliverables,” says Jon Gardner, EIKON’s founder and chief technology officer.

Understanding starts with definitions. EIKON defines automation as the use of technology to perform repetitive tasks without human intervention. It is rule-based and follows predefined instructions to complete specific tasks consistently. AI, on the other hand, focuses on machines capable of performing complex tasks that require decision-­making and learning from data. AI systems can respond dynamically to new information and make interpretive decisions.

While automation and AI are distinct, they can be most effective when paired together. That is the approach taken at EIKON. Automation excels in performing repetitive tasks consistently, while AI brings adaptability and intelligent decision-making to complex tasks. Together, they can transform project workflows by enhancing productivity, efficiency and innovation.

For the record, EIKON does not use any generative AI (image, audio or script generation). EIKON is acutely sensitive to any use of AI that potentially infringes intellectual property, which is why it assiduously does not use public AI models.

“Our customer’s privacy is a hard red line,” says Gardner. “That’s why we are developing AI capabilities in-house, using only secure local equipment and private infrastructure.”

User-friendly appeal

Another misdirection around AI is that its introduction sweeps away all previous processes. That’s not EIKON’s opinion. “We believe there are smaller, more iterative wins with AI that are being overlooked,” explains Ryan Sorensen, EIKON’s SVP of software engineering. “Deploying automation and AI tools strategically, specifically on asset assessment, allows us to eliminate multiple manual and repetitive steps, improving speed of delivery and enhancing the customer experience.”

For instance, multiple AI tools can be used to extract information from a huge volume of catalogue assets. AI speech-to-text, character detection, object detection and audio classification tools are collectively used to speed up the assessment and categorisation of assets, increasing productivity and reducing operator intervention to further shave project turnaround times.

“We believe in building tools that are easy to integrate, easy to use and easy to leave,” says Sorensen. “The last part sounds counterintuitive for a good business but we believe in the power and user-friendly appeal of the software we build.”

EIKON’s approach is to start from the smallest unit of work where AI might add value. Its team builds a targeted tool and presents that to customers for feedback and iteration. All software products are designed with the full participation of the client and every requirement is bespoke.

“This incremental approach allows our development team to accomplish projects at scale,” notes Gardner. “It means all the participants have contributed to product development and have ownership of it. This is also where smart use of AI comes in, because it may be a series of very small AI agents that we’re using, but it might add huge value to a client’s entire production supply chain.”

Launch of EIKON-iQ

This process culminates in the release of EIKON-iQ. This interface into EIKON services will enable the company’s team to interact with the flow of assets and orders from leading client-­side media supply chain management systems like SDVI.

“EIKON-iQ represents the way we manage a feature or episodic series from end to end, as it passes through our system,” explains Gardner. “Seamlessly integrated with the client’s orchestration tools, EIKON-iQ will provide status reports of all technical and editorial assets, giving clients instant visibility into any aspect of their project.

“EIKON-iQ is going to put EIKON at the forefront of vendor technology while also launching us into a wider ecosystem in partnership with SDVI and other customer platforms. At EIKON, we build with quality and precision and then scale. EIKON-iQ delivers and optimises those principles.”