Where are we headed with AI generated content

Just a few years after the launch of ChatGPT, is AI-generated content going out of fashion? Given more than 30 million AI-generated images are created every day, it seems unlikely. Yet, despite its unprecedented powers, there signs of increasing AI fatigue and concerns about authenticity and environmental impact. A new IEC market report unpacks the issues around AI generated content (AIGC), with recommendations for sustainable solutions.

When we think of AIGC what often comes to mind are images and videos we can share on social media. Yet AIGC offers the potential to transform numerous industries, enabling users to interact with machines more naturally, solve previously unsolvable problems and enhance productivity and decision-making like never before. Recent advances are laying the foundation for extensive application prospects across sectors such as intelligent manufacturing, smart homes and smart healthcare, not to mention

It offers significant promise in terms of addressing environmental issues and advancing sustainability goals. For example, through the use of satellite imagery and sensors on the ground, AIGC can monitor environmental changes in real time, such as deforestation or temperature changes. It can enable governments to 'test' out different government policies through accurate simulations, enabling better decision making and the development of more effective measures.

Yet despite the advances, AIGC faces a number of challenges. The IEC Technology and Market Outlook Paper Artificial intelligence generated content (AIGC); Industry insights and exploring the future delves into these challenges from four different perspectives: technology, commercialization, societal perception and legal and regulatory frameworks.

The paper explores the evolution of AIGC, from the 1950s to the present, detailing recent innovations in areas such as content generation and reasoning efficiency. It explores its potential and expanding role in sectors such as manufacturing and healthcare and the various technical, regulatory and societal challenges it faces. This includes concerns around privacy, security, intellectual property, governance and trust.

The report provides valuable perspectives and insights on how to address critical challenges with AIGC such as energy consumption and infrastructure demands. It offers valuable insights and strategic recommendations to investors, policymakers, industry leaders, and technology developers.

Written by experts from various organizations, academia, research institutes and industry associations working under the IEC Market Strategy Board, the document is available for free download.

The challenges and benefits of AI and how it can contribute to a sustainable world was a key topic discussed at the 89th IEC General Meeting held in New Delhi, India last week. The theme of the event was Fostering a sustainable world, bringing together hundreds of international experts, policy makers and standardizers, to discuss and debate the challenges and how standards can help.