AI-Powered Storyboarding Cuts Pre-Production

- Beyond storyboarding, AI is being integrated across the entire pre-production workflow, with agencies using it for tasks like formatting, sourcing reference materials, and combing through research, freeing up more time for creative ideation. - Leo Burnett Toronto has developed a proprietary platform called "Hi LEO" that consolidates various generative AI models into a secure environment, with modules tailored for each agency discipline to improve workflow efficiency and creative output. A future release of "Hi LEO" is planned to include "synthetic audiences," allowing teams to co-create and test concepts with AI-generated consumer cohorts. - To achieve character consistency in AI-generated storyboards, a key challenge is prompting the AI. Advanced techniques include creating detailed character sheets to reference in every prompt and generating expression sheets to maintain a character's appearance across different emotions and poses. For complex scenes, some creatives are using a "staging technique" where they photograph real people in position and then use image-to-image generation to transform it into the desired style. - While AI significantly speeds up the creation of first-draft content, the human element remains crucial for strategy, refining brand voice, and final creative approval. The goal is not to replace creatives but to have them operate at the top of their skillset. - From a leadership perspective, while the majority of CMOs are adopting generative AI for creative development and campaign evaluation, a notable 27% report limited or no adoption within their teams, citing that investments have yet to show significant payoff. However, 70% of global CMOs are already adopting it in some capacity. - The adoption of generative AI in marketing is projected to have a significant economic impact, with Goldman Sachs estimating it will drive a 7% increase in global GDP and boost productivity by 1.5% over the next decade. For agencies, this can translate into a 30-50% increase in client work capacity without increasing headcount. - AI-powered automation is being used to streamline agency operations by handling repetitive tasks such as sending documents for approval, updating project statuses, and generating reports from various data sources. - Many CMOs believe that in an environment of AI-assisted production, the value of high-quality craft and design has increased. There's also a growing belief that customers will pay a premium for human-created content.