AI Algorithm Targeting Viewers

written by 10206 Kim Eunsung

Think of what you do before you go to bed. Most people are scrolling down the small screen, giggling. What pops up on your feed is made to match your taste and attract you. You play some videos that you would like to watch. Maybe you might click the like button if you liked it.

A girl who is a huge fan of K-pop opens YouTube on her phone. Her feed will show videos about K-pop idols, lyrics of a song or a TV show where her favorite idol group appears. On her TikTok, it might show edits of the idol. She will push the like buttons on these videos and maybe subscribe to those pages.

Have you ever thought about how the contents you see on your feed perfectly match your taste? That’s because AI algorithms have learned what you like based on your watch history.

Before AI algorithms and streaming services existed, you had to switch and scroll through videos by yourself in order to find a show that you would like. However, these days, most of us do not switch channels.

AI algorithms recommend content that you might like. The popularity of OTT services, an over-the-top media service, has skyrocketed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Almost every OTT platform, such as Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime and more, uses AI algorithms. Also, social media services like Instagram, X (formally Twitter) and YouTube use this technology too.

AI algorithms are instructed on how to perform a task. Once the AI collects some data from your previous usage history, it learns what you like/are interested in. Then, it starts to predict things.

If you want to test the process, pick up your phone, open up the YouTube app and watch several videos about cats. Soon, your feed on YouTube will be recommending videos with cats on their thumbnails.

They collect every action you make on the app, from what you watch to when you open your phone. This is the reason why people are so obsessed with their OTT services and SNS.

Netflix uses AI algorithms to attract viewers and provide a more personalized streaming experience. It uses an AI algorithm to recommend content. The algorithm analyzes viewing history, searching records and ratings.

Based on this information, it shows movies and TV shows that might suit the preference of each user. It predicts what the user would like to watch next. Also, it provides recommendations of what other users who have similar tastes have watched. Using this technology, Netflix has attracted viewers to use their service.

AI algorithms save time, especially when we are looking for TV shows that will satisfy us. You don’t have to spend time searching for TV shows, dramas or movies that you would like to watch.

Since it is difficult to know the genre or what it is about, you have to look for the information about the show by yourself. However, with AI algorithms, you don’t need to. Searching for its actors, genre and plot is unnecessary since the AI already knows your preference and makes recommendations based on that information.

The shows the AI recommends are mostly what you are looking for and hoping to watch, making your choice much easier and quicker than ever before.

This humongous change in the entertainment industry has made media services more convenient for individuals. Now, we don’t need to spend time finding content that we want since the AI is doing that tiresome job instead of us. AI algorithms have the potential to grow further, and they will be used in more diverse fields than they are now to make our lives convenient.