1. Caught in the slopstream

Like it or not, AI is becoming embedded in everything. Vendors and developers make all sorts of aims and claims, but what is the reality of what is actually delivered? Show me the actual ROI! So far, I see few discernible benefits and quite nebulous returns on fatuous promises.

There are upsides: Auto feedback rejection, instant meeting transcription, speedy camera tracking, acoustic modelling, studio plugins; all of these have become genuinely better of late. Mainly because they train on real-world usage.

The bigger danger with generative AI is that the broader applications end up in a self-perpetuating slop loop. If they trained mainly on classic or contemporary knowledge (whether stolen or not), they may stand a chance of replicating some of the better aspects of humanity.

Instead, the more popular platforms seem to learn from endless keyboard warrior drivel scraped from unmoderated social media. Garbage in, garbage out. The race to the bottom accelerates.

Everyone’s caught in a hype cycle instead of seeing AI for what it is – a very powerful and sophisticated tool that not many are yet using effectively. Smart players might utilise that to develop features that are actually useful to the user. Their bottom line will benefit far more over time than those engaged in puffery.

2. Marketing (TM) – now with even more overused buzzwords

Marketing and advertising folk love their catchphrases and build whole campaigns around them. But how can every last gadget or upgrade be a ‘game changer’? Are we playing Tiddlywinks or trying to integrate complex technologies? Please, can we find a new trope before it becomes a shibboleth?

‘Now with AI’ is the next buzzkill. As soon as I see this phrase, I know that the marketers won over the engineers in the battle for that particular product. Adding a delusional chatbot does not make an experience better for the user.

3. Drowning in immersion

Art and theatrical installations have been attempting this for a while, but now live AV is after engaging all your senses, all at once. Are you having an immersive experience yet? Are you overwhelmed, underwhelmed or just confused?

Granted, spatial audio is truly cool, and we are yet to see all of the implementations that this tech will bring. Directing and shaping audio into the acoustic holes of your venue, from boardroom to lounge room, is now easily achievable. Tricking the brain with psychoacoustics is heady stuff. Some of the effects are amazing.

As is wrapping the outside of your venue with pictures via projection mapping. Look out for some pretty serious suburban setups this Christmas period.

4. IT/AV convergence continues

Reports from recent trade shows sound just like a quarter of a century ago. Apparently, IT and AV are crossing over. Guess what? Black box or beige, they are all just computers and computer stuff. Always have been.

AV-specific IT hardware is big business and will only become more so as more features get added to AV endpoints. Solid IT infrastructure is now required to stage effective AV installs.

There’s some cool stuff in UC, but again, the really fun advancements are happening in live tech. WMAS is set to revolutionise wireless communications. Near field updates save a ton of time setting up intelligent fixtures. High-definition audio and complex control all stream down the CAT wires or fibre. No more bulky analogue multicores for shows, just network nerds.

Concert lighting fixtures are now so feature-packed and controllable that they can both project video (with amazing clarity) and become pixels in a bigger visual set piece. This is a truly striking confluence of once divergent techs.

5. Rent or buy?

No one seems to own anything anymore. It’s all leased or rented. The option to pay once and own equipment or software outright often does not exist. Expect more of this.

Everything with a chip in it requires regular updates. And now every item has a chip integrated, whether it’s warranted or not. Soon, our electronics may require an up-to-date subscription status before performing its basic function. Does your coffee machine really need a quad-core processor to heat up some water? Will your toaster reject you because of your credit score?

The software-as-a-service model has taken hold in all sorts of sectors. SLAs and service contracts are great income streams for integrators and installers but less attractive to a consumer wondering how they can manage their seventeenth subscription service. Do them a favour and consolidate all of these into your friendly AV offering… for a monthly fee, of course. Why not take it full-stack – John’s Mowing, Cleaning and Technology all in one easy-to-understand bill?