For video creators, AI offers powerful tools to streamline production and enhance content. But with these capabilities comes additional responsibility: when should AI be used, and how can creators ensure they’re using it without misleading their audience—or, worse, making them feel violated? There is no reputational risk quite like mishandling AI-generated content.
AI can help streamline workflows, brainstorm ideas, and handle tedious tasks, but it should be a creative partner, and not a replacement. The following are some tips and tricks on how AI can help create better video content, and where it’s best to draw the line and maintain the authenticity your audience desires.
Incorporating AI to Create Content
During pre-production, chatbots powered by natural language processing (NLP) can facilitate interactive, back-and-forth dialogue that helps quickly generate script outlines from a simple prompt or topic. These tools not only can assist in shaping the overall structure but also can help writers refine their scripts to ensure they meet learning objectives, stay within time constraints, and align with the intended tone and comprehension level. Whether adapting for different education levels, regions, or age groups, AI can suggest vocabulary and phrasing that resonate with a specific audience, making the content feel more relatable from the outset.
Once the script is in place, it’s time to move into storyboarding, a time-intensive but vital process that brings the narrative to life visually and ensures alignment across the creative team. AI can streamline this stage by generating draft visuals or placeholders for characters, scenes, and environments, allowing teams to explore concepts more efficiently. For instance, AI can generate a character in multiple poses and in various outfits. It can also create different settings. These elements can then be combined to visually convey what is expected in each scene. By generating draft visuals or placeholders, AI streamlines the early concepting stage, allowing teams to explore ideas more efficiently and align on creative direction. Storyboarders can also upload imagery throughout development, using AI to describe what it “sees” and identify whether the visual tone matches the original creative intent, making it easier to iterate and adjust before filming begins.
Just as AI is streamlining the early stages of video creation, it’s also reshaping post-production. Video editing software is now embedding AI-powered features, such as automatic audio leveling and noise reduction, to help creators produce polished content more efficiently. This shift allows teams to move seamlessly from idea to final cut with fewer manual steps and faster turnaround.
While there are many ways AI can support the video creation process, it’s important to recognize where its role should end. AI isn’t here to replace human creativity; it’s here to enhance it. When used thoughtfully across ideation, production, and post-production, it can save time, offer new perspectives, and free creators to focus more on storytelling and emotional impact. But like any tool, its value comes from how—and how much—it’s used.
Limiting Usage
AI can be easily misused, sometimes even unintentionally. To maintain creative authenticity, therefore ensuring trust with your audience, it’s crucial to use AI tools with purpose and transparency.
As previously mentioned, AI can be a powerful partner for tasks like brainstorming or editing. However, it’s important not to let it overtake the entire narrative. Relying too heavily on AI can result in content that feels generic, flat, or disconnected from one’s brand voice and values. Creators bring a unique perspective that AI simply can’t replicate. Their personal voice, storytelling style, and lived experience are what truly resonate with viewers. Overreliance on AI tends to produce content that sits in the middle of the road, which it assumes is “average”, that doesn’t always align with the creator’s goals, context, or audience, so it’s important to treat AI as a springboard, not a substitute.
Excessive reliance on AI can also erode audiences’ trust. If the technology significantly contributes to what an audience hears or sees, such as a generated voiceover or a script, consider disclosing that. According to the TechSmith 2024 Viewer Trends Report, based on insights from 1,000 global participants, 75 percent of respondents are very or somewhat receptive to instructional video content created with artificial intelligence. However, a key concern among viewers is the origin of the content. Viewers appreciate honesty, and being upfront about AI involvement helps maintain credibility and trust.
When creating video, AI should augment what we do, not replace us. When used thoughtfully, it can streamline workflows and unlock new creative possibilities without compromising one’s vision, values, or voice. However, it’s important to limit the amount of AI used in a project to keep it authentic and maintain trust with the audience.
