Nervous about AI? Many internet creators see it as a tool, not a threat.

ANAHEIM, Calif. As workers across industries weigh whether AI could make their jobs obsolete, many digital content creators have openly embraced a future they see as both inevitable and exciting.

Seth Martino, who describes himself as a creator of authorship and fashion content, said learning more about AI tools was a top priority as he navigated panels at VidCon, the annual conference for digital creators, fans, executives and brands online.

It was just like AI took off and people were really working hard to take advantage of it, so they’re building all these apps around AI, but there are still people saying, Wait, what does it do and how do we use it ? said Martin. I too want to ride that train and so I want to learn the most powerful way to use it effectively.

As an explosion of generative AI tools is sweeping the world, digital content creators are especially eager to explore these new technological innovations.

During a VidCon panel, hundreds of creators raised their hand when asked by the moderator how many of them were incorporating AI into their work. Later, when asked how many worried that AI might one day take their job, nearly every hand in the room fell.

YouTube videos about generative AI tools have received more than 1.7 billion views this year alone, according to YouTube’s Culture & Trends 2023 report, and 60 percent of the more than 25,000 viewers surveyed said they were open to watch creators using artificial intelligence to generate their content.

Kevin Allocca, head of culture and trends at YouTube, said that public interest in such tools has increased significantly in the last six months.

Everyone is interested in this topic right now and what the implications may be, Allocca said. There’s a lot of interest in how it can help with workflows and translations and that sort of thing, which is a little less central to the viewing experience, but a lot of people are trying to figure out what that means for their particular form of creativity . .

This sentiment rings true for YouTube livestreamer Myth, whose real name is Ali Kabbani.

Kabbani said that while it’s fun to play with how AI can generate content by self-cloning, for example the most powerful AI tools for creators right now appear to be ones that simply increase productivity by reducing the time needed for more tedious activities, like editing videos.

These tools also lower the barrier to entry for aspiring content creators, she said, because they no longer need to learn video editing or hire an editor to start producing content.

People who are getting into content creation, now more than ever, will be more competitive for it, Kabbani said, and because of this they will have a better chance of becoming more robust content creators.

Liam Trumble, creative director at social agency Superdigital, said AI can also help creators with the business side of things, like negotiating with brands and drafting invoices. But he cautioned that such tools can only help, not replace, human minds.

It’s not perfect in its current form, Trumble said. And that’s honestly a general statement I’d make for most AI in general: it needs to be looked at with an outside pair of eyes, and nothing is ready to be shipped out the door.

Samir Chaudry, co-host of ‘The Colin and Samir Show’ said he is encouraging all of his team members to use AI in their day-to-day jobs. He said tools like Descript, AutoPod and Midjourney have made it possible to speed up the post-production process so that everyone can spend more time focusing on the activities they enjoy and that rely on the human imagination.

Chaudry said it’s understandable that people feel uneasy about wading into uncharted territory, at least until the world moves toward a healthy balance between regulation and freedom to explore.

But he said he’s more optimistic than most about how AI could shape the future of human interaction.

My prediction is that I think we will see an increase in live performance. I think the cabaret will be more interesting to watch. I think plays will be more interesting to watch. I think collective human experiences like going to the movies will be more interesting, Chaudry said. In a year or two, when many things are altered or generated by artificial intelligence, we will evaluate human perspectives in a way that we may have lost touch with.