WTDaBuzz · Production & AI · 17 October 2026
Media buyers encounter AI in many different products, from production tools to distribution services. A shared technical vocabulary helps a team ask what a proposed system actually does before discussing its commercial value.
SMPTE ER 1011:2025, Artificial Intelligence and Media, updates the earlier engineering report with subjects including multimodal and agentic AI, open source, model risks and security considerations. SMPTE describes it as background for media professionals across production, distribution and consumption. An engineering report is a resource for understanding the field; it is not a certification that a particular vendor’s product is suitable for a production.
Translate the sales description into a task
A buyer should be able to state what information enters the system, what output is expected and which person uses that output. The explanation should be specific enough that a representative evaluation can be designed.
A hypothetical production manager reviewing a new tool can ask the vendor to demonstrate the task with material resembling the intended work. A polished example supplied by the vendor may be informative, but it should not be the only basis for the decision.
Include the surrounding work
The commercial evaluation should account for preparation, review, correction and integration. A fast automated step may still require substantial work before its output can be used by the next team.
The operating plan also needs a route for exceptions. The buyer should know what happens when the system cannot produce a usable result and who decides whether another process is required.
Keep the evaluation record reusable
A short record of the tool, version, test material and observed outcome helps the team explain its decision later. If the product changes, that record supplies a concrete starting point for another review.
SMPTE’s report is useful as common reading across technical and commercial roles. Its practical value is greatest when the vocabulary supports a precise task definition and an evaluation of the complete production workflow.
Image: Illustrative production crew, Getty Images / Unsplash+, licensed original; not a SMPTE AI test.