22 ON THE RIGHT PATH
The opportunities and limitations of AI in video are the focus of the Society for Broadband Professionals’ half-day conference event tomorrow, as Dr Anthony Basham tells David Davies
Given the prominence of AI in so many organisations’ plans and the conference schedules of IBC2024, it’s impossible to disagree when Dr Anthony Basham, President of the Society for Broadband Professionals (SCTE), says: “I think that in terms of the issue that is going to be central this year, everybody is on the same path: AI.” At the SCTE’s base in Hall 8 – adjacent to the
fi ve other organisations in the IBC Partnership – and during its annual half-day conference tomorrow, Basham anticipates plenty of lively debate about the possibilities of implementing AI in different areas of broadcast network engineering and maintenance. “It’s a big change that’s coming, and it’s coming in every area, but I don’t think we should be frightened of AI,” he says. “It’s more the case that we need to use it wisely, in the same way that if you use penicillin wisely it doesn’t become a problem. It’s everything in moderation, as usual, and in the case of AI we need to think about it as another tool.”
PROACTIVE MAINTENANCE With regard to SCTE member interests and activities, Basham recognises particular possibilities in using AI for “proactive maintenance where the broadcast is transmitted. You can use AI to assess how customers’ WiFi is working. Are they having problems? Is a cabinet overheating? Should we send a technician? You can do this already, but with AI it could be more extensive in terms of fi nding faults and checking networks.” Basham indicates that a number of exciting trials are already underway, including “at the end-of-line where AI can be employed to check that the connection is OK, which involves using refl ections to check if there are any problems on the fi bre optic line all the way out to the end-user. These micro- changers are much easier to pinpoint with AI, allowing you to then send the right technician to the affected area to sort out the problem.” Rising costs, including those accrued due to maintenance, are bound to be an impetus to adoption. “Ensuring you’re sending the right people and using the money in the right places at the right time is becoming more important,” he says. But rigorous thought must be given to the impact on skills requirements – “we need to get more skilled
SCTE President Dr Anthony Basham
labour into an unskilled market” – while effective restrictions are essential. “AI will have to be regulated to stop it going into the wrong areas because this will happen [otherwise],” he adds. Following on from last year’s well-attended event on ESG, tomorrow’s AI-focused half-day conference, taking place in Room E102 from 12:00-16:00, will be moderated by Peter Veerman, Manager of the FttO Networks department at Delta Fiber Nederland, a member of the SCTE Executive since 2019, and a member of the SCTE Benelux Group since 2014.
Bookended by refreshments, the event will feature short presentations by four speakers: Jan de Cock, Director Codec Development at Synamedia; Bart Vanderostyne, Regional Sales Director at Robovision; Stijn Verrept, CTO and Founder at Nobi; and Ronald Peters, Team Lead Product Management Anti-Piracy & TraceMark at Irdeto. There will also be a panel discussion as well as opportunities to
“I don’t think we should be frightened of AI. It’s more the case that we need to use it wisely”
ask questions and network. In terms of the IBC Show as a whole, Basham indicates that its function as a networking and knowledge-sharing hub is as critical as ever. “It’s very good as a venue for people to investigate, discuss and fi nd out more, including to consider how we can collaborate and work together,” he says. “And it’s great not only for continuing existing relationships but building new ones as well.”
Dr Anthony Basham is President of the Society for Broadband Professionals (SCTE), one of IBC’s owners.
Visit the SCTE throughout the show at the Owner Pavilion in Hall 8.
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