As creators faced a looming—but short-lived TikTok ban in January, many asked, “Where do I go from here?” These creators had built their communities on the app, established their brands, and forged close connections with fans and fellow creators. For some, TikTok was their primary (or only) source of income. For others, it was the only way to keep in touch with their community.
And with the flip of a switch, it would all evaporate.
While TikTok has since resumed operations in the U.S. after a 75-day suspension, its fate remains uncertain. Whether we’re headed toward a post-TikTok America or not, creators who want to sustain their followings and effectively monetize their content can no longer relegate their presence to a single platform.
Social media is constantly changing, with regular—and often mysterious—algorithm changes, UX updates, and new features that can disrupt a creator’s content strategy and the reliability of their reach. To grow their revenue and expand their influence, creators are breaking away from channel exclusivity to extend their reach across multiple platforms. However, this can be daunting for creators who are just starting or have only experience creating content for a single site.
AI has tremendous potential to help creators overcome these early challenges, from enhancing live streams to clipping content to effortlessly troubleshooting technical issues. This will prove vital in creating content for multiple social channels and hosting simultaneous live streams across platforms – it’s no wonder that 84% of creators say they’re already using these tools in some way.
However, the role of AI in the creative industry, especially generative AI, is a contentious topic. Some viewers feel that creators are being inauthentic or “cheating ” by using AI. They may also have other ethical qualms about the technology, such as concerns about “stolen” content being used to train generative AI tools or the environmental impact of genAI processing. These are valid concerns and may make creators hesitant to adopt tools that can tremendously improve their workflows.
The use of AI is becoming increasingly naturalized, and it seems inevitable that all industries, including live streaming, will embrace these tools as creators strive to optimize their workflows and meet growing audience demands. Fortunately, creators can still make the most of today’s AI capabilities without compromising their audiences’ trust. Here are a few approaches to consider:
Balance Authenticity and Innovation
What does it mean to be ‘authentic?’
A global survey on AI sentiment asked consumers how they defined something to be authentic, and they answered ‘real’ or ‘the real thing.’ However, even this means different things for different people, especially niche creators, like gamers or cosplayers, and people in various regions of the world. It also depends on the format of their content. Authenticity from a Fortnite streamer may look different from authenticity from a boutique owner conducting a live sale.
Creators should tailor their AI use to what their viewers know and love about their content.
For example, AI tools can be handy for creators specializing in long-form content, such as live streamers, live shopping hosts, and creators making longer video essays and reviews. Instead of having to sift through hours and hours of footage for highlights, they can employ machine learning tools to clip the best parts of their content automatically. Then, they can repurpose that content across their various platforms to maximize their reach. Automatic clipping and editing features also save creators valuable time, which can prevent burnout and promote consistency, which is key to maintaining an audience.
AI tools can also help creators communicate with their audience. For example, a gaming live streamer might use an AI tool to help highlight messages in their chatbox while focusing on gameplay and commentary. This is especially powerful when they’re multi-streaming and managing three or more chats simultaneously. Meanwhile, a live seller might employ AI-driven automated messages to immediately send viewers the information, invoices, and receipts they need with a more personalized touch.
Enhance, not Replace
Proponents of generative AI often argue that the technology “democratizes” creativity, allowing more people to bring their creative visions to life. While swaths of creators fall on both sides of this debate, the argument makes one thing clear: the desire for easier, more accessible ways to create content is universal. In a world where content is everything, no matter the platform, any tool that helps creators make better content and spread it across platforms is a boon.
AI is most useful in enhancing human creativity – not replacing it. The idea is to automate the time-consuming, tedious work so creators can focus on what they do best: making content and fostering community. To illustrate, let’s go back to our gaming livestreamer. If they use an AI tool to clip the best parts of their stream, they can put more energy toward making creative edits, customizing content for each platform, and answering comments and messages from fans.
Not all AI tools for creators are generative AI, either. Clipping tools primarily use machine learning. Other AI tools, like content curation tools, can help creators find similar users to connect with and content to interact with. Building a community of peer creators is vital to fostering collaboration, which can help creators extend their reach and unlock new growth opportunities.
Advantages for Small Creators
The creator economy is brutally competitive. Interest in creative economy jobs is skyrocketing, and 65% of Gen Z alone considers themselves some kind of online creator. Today’s rising talent faces competition from AI-generated profiles, which can look deceptively real. With many new challenges between creators and their breakout moments, producing quality content for various online venues is non-negotiable.
Creators with smaller followings can benefit from AI tools to grow their following. Getting to that first 1,000 followers can feel like an impossible task at the outset, but the sooner these new creators can start creating good content across multiple platforms, the faster their following is likely to grow.
New creators should look for AI tools that:
- Enhance their content through automated cleanup, fine-tuning, and helpful clipping and editing functions to maximize content repurposing and creative applications like AI avatars.
- Help them navigate digital learning curves by automating complicated technical tasks, providing assistive guidance, and automatically troubleshooting and correcting problems while live streaming.
- Make it easier to run their business through streamlined payments, content scheduling, easy-to-understand insights, analytics – or all of the above and more.
Being Strategic
When integrating new technology—not just AI—into their production stack, creators should consider how those tools serve their goals and overall creative vision. They may also need different tools at different stages of their journey.
AI isn’t a magic bullet; it can’t turn someone into a pro content creator and explode their following overnight. However, AI tools can help creators focus more on actual creative work and building their audiences, which will differentiate their content and help them achieve a sustainable career.
