Writing a video script is one of the areas where AI adds the most value. With a good brief, AI can deliver a first draft of a script that already has the structure and message well organised. That first draft saves time and provides a solid starting point for editing.

What to give AI for a good script:

• The goal of the video (inform, persuade, entertain?)
• The target audience and their level of knowledge
• The desired length and platform
• The brand's tone of voice
• Any key points that must be covered

AI writes a strong skeleton. The nuance, brand-specific examples and the persuasive power of chosen words always require human editing.

AI voices have improved significantly in recent years. Tools like ElevenLabs and Microsoft Azure Speech deliver voices that in many contexts are almost indistinguishable from a human recording. For instructional videos, e-learning content and internal communications, this works well.

For campaigns where emotional experience is central, or for videos where the voice of a specific person contributes to authenticity, an AI voice is often insufficient. The subtle differences in intonation, breathing and timing that a good voice actor brings are still difficult to replicate.

For images that need to supply B-roll or background video, AI video tools such as Sora (OpenAI), Runway and Pika are becoming serious options. They can generate short clips based on text prompts. Quality is usable for some applications, but still limited for others.

Realistic human movements, consistent characters across multiple shots and specific branded products remain problematic for AI video generation. Use AI video clips as a supplement to real recordings, not as a replacement.

One area where AI performs almost flawlessly: automatic subtitling. Tools like Whisper (OpenAI) and specialised platforms accurately convert spoken word into text. This saves considerable time in post-production.

Automatic translation of subtitles into multiple languages is also well within reach. Bear in mind that editorial review is still needed: machine translations are accurate enough for informational videos, but sometimes miss the nuance required for campaign videos or emotional content.

AI functions are integrated into Adobe Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve that speed up certain editing tasks. Think of automatic cutting to music beats, removing silences, colour correction suggestions and text-driven timeline navigation. These are genuine time savings for editors.

Fully automatic video editing, where an AI creates a finished video from raw footage, is not yet at a level usable for professional marketing videos. The tool helps the editor but does not replace them.

An emerging application is adjusting lipsync for translated videos. Here, a video with original audio is edited so that the speaker's mouth moves in sync with the translated audio. This already works reasonably well for informational content, but still requires a lot of manual review for campaign material.

AI supports video production at multiple points: scriptwriting, subtitling, voice-over for specific contexts and editing assistance. Fully AI-generated campaign video is not yet a reality for professional marketing, but the tools are improving rapidly.

Mach8 helps organisations use AI in content production processes, including video. View our content production service or get in touch to discuss the possibilities.