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Date:
February 15, 2024

Countering Inappropriate Content with AI Innovation

In the digital age, the proliferation of inappropriate or objectionable content in social media, film, and TV has become a significant concern. This content, which can range from explicit material to hate speech, poses a threat to individual users and businesses that operate within these platforms. This issue becomes even more complex when we consider the global nature of these platforms and the need for content localization. The advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) can play a pivotal role in addressing these challenges, including some of those it is expected to cause.

The Problem

The issue of inappropriate content is multifaceted. For one, it exposes users, particularly young ones, to material they are not developmentally ready for. It often happens that regulators for entire markets may find the content so objectionable that they prohibit or restrict how and where it can be shown. Furthermore, it can damage the reputation of businesses associated with these platforms, especially if their ads appear next to such content.

Content creators, distributors, or platforms are increasingly held responsible for objectionable content through laws such as COPPA in the U.S. and GDPR in Europe. Legislative bodies from around the globe are debating new laws or regulations to ensure only age-appropriate content is available to their citizens. All indications are the problem will get worse before it gets better.

The Impact on Film and TV Content Localization

Localization refers to adapting content to make it culturally and linguistically suitable for a specific target audience in a particular region or country. The presence of inappropriate content can significantly impact the decision-making process around content localization for global media markets and streaming platforms.

For instance, content creators must be aware of cultural sensitivities to avoid alienating their audience. They must consider the potential double meaning, unintended connotations, or offensive expressions in slogans, names, jokes, and idioms and find brand-secure alternatives. They must be aware of the types of imitable behavior some populations find objectionable. This is especially important when localizing content for different cultures.

Moreover, inappropriate content can affect simple things like trailers, visual aesthetics, and other critical elements of how content appears in an advertisement. It can also impact content placement and rankings as platforms use metadata to restrict objectionable content from appearing in search and language-compatible search engines.

Countering Inappropriate Content with AI Innovation

AI will play a transformative role in countering inappropriate content. AI algorithms can scan and analyze vast amounts of data, flagging potential compliance issues and violations. This helps professionals identify and address any non-compliant content more efficiently.

AI can also automate the monitoring and analysis of content, providing insights into the type of content and where ads can appear. This can help protect brands by ensuring their ads do not appear in the wrong places, such as airing adjacent to inappropriate content or extremist or fake news sites. Furthermore, AI can assist in content moderation. AI moderates user-generated content more efficiently and accurately. It can analyze text, images, and videos to identify inappropriate or offensive content, which can then be timestamped and flagged for review and further action.

In conclusion, the issue of inappropriate content is complex and requires a multi-faceted approach. By working together, media and entertainment companies, content creators, studios, and content distributors can create a safer and more respectful digital environment. The advent of AI technologies provides promising solutions to mitigate the problem of inappropriate content, ensuring content compliance, corporate responsibility, and brand safety. SpherexAI™ is the premier platform for delivering AI/ML-based analysis of any form of video content for any market worldwide. If you have global distribution aspirations, adding SpherexAI™ to your workflows is an intelligent way to ensure your content reaches its broadest audience quickly and safely. Contact Spherex today for a personal demonstration.

Related Insights

The Future of Advertising: Why Cultural Intelligence Matters More Than Ever

In today's borderless media landscape, where streaming platforms deliver films and TV shows to over 200 countries instantly, advertisers face a critical challenge: ensuring their ads resonate with diverse audiences while maintaining cultural sensitivity and brand safety. Traditional advertising approaches, relying on demographics, basic localization, and keyword filtering, often fall short. These methods fail to capture the emotional and cultural nuances of different markets, leading to misplaced ads that miss the mark.

To navigate these challenges, brands must go beyond surface-level strategies and adopt a deeper understanding of how content resonates emotionally and culturally across markets. This is where innovative approaches come into play, offering a way to not just reach global audiences, but truly connect with them on a profound, culturally aligned level.

Emotional Arbitrage: The Key to Better Ad Targeting

A groundbreaking approach called "emotional arbitrage" is revolutionizing how brands connect with global audiences. This strategy identifies moments of cultural tension and resolution within content, enabling advertisers to strategically place their messages for maximum impact.

When viewers encounter cultural dissonance—a scene that challenges their deeply ingrained values—they unconsciously seek resolution. Research indicates that brands offering this resolution through culturally aligned messaging achieve significantly higher engagement, recall, and positive sentiment.

Consider a scene in a TV show where a young woman defies her family's expectations by pursuing a career in the arts. In some cultures, where familial respect and tradition are paramount, an ad for an educational institution that helps young people find their passions might be appropriate. Conversely, in cultures prioritizing individual expression and self-discovery, an ad for a bank that helped a young woman open a clothing store featuring her designs could resonate more effectively.

By strategically placing ads that align with cultural expectations, brands can forge deeper emotional connections with viewers, ensuring their message is not just seen, but genuinely felt.

AI-Driven Solutions: The Next Frontier of Cultural Intelligence

Imagine a technology that can analyze video content, not just for keywords or demographics, but for the subtle nuances of cultural and emotional context. This technology could identify moments of tension, humor, sadness, or joy, and pinpoint exactly where an ad would resonate most effectively with a specific audience. Such AI-driven solutions are transforming the advertising landscape, empowering brands to tailor their messages with unprecedented precision and cultural sensitivity.

How AI-Powered Advertising Enhances Performance

By leveraging AI for cultural intelligence, brands can achieve:

  • Strategic Ad Placement: Ads are placed at moments when viewers are emotionally primed to engage, increasing effectiveness.
  • Brand Safety Assurance: Prevents ad placement in content that could be misaligned with brand values or culturally sensitive.
  • Higher Engagement & Recall: Ads become part of the storytelling experience, reinforcing brand messages rather than disrupting them.
  • Scalability Across Global Markets: AI-driven insights allow brands to optimize campaigns for diverse cultural contexts without manual intervention.
The Future of Culturally Intelligent Advertising

As digital content continues to transcend borders, understanding how different cultures react to media is no longer optional—it's essential. Advertisers that embrace cultural intelligence and leverage AI-powered solutions will not only protect their brand integrity but also forge stronger, more meaningful connections with global audiences.

In a world where content is universal but cultural experiences are unique, the brands that adapt will be the brands that thrive. The future of culturally intelligent advertising starts now. Click here to learn how SpherexAI can elevate your advertising strategy.

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Spherex Classification Tool Now Approved for Home Entertainment Content in Australia

The Albanese Government has updated the Spherex Classification Tool approval to include ratings for theatrical releases, home entertainment, and streaming content in Australia. Spherex was previously approved to classify online films.

The update underscores the Australian Classification Board’s confidence in Spherex as a tool to help Australian viewers make informed choices about the content they consume. This means Australians can now access a range of new films sooner than they might across all formats and windows.

Spherex has a longstanding relationship with the Australian Classification Board. Since 2020, Spherex has collaborated closely with the Australian Government to ensure its technology reliably generates classification decisions that meet Australian standards and viewers' expectations.

As the world’s only commercial provider of local age ratings, Spherex has successfully produced classification decisions for high volumes of online content in over 100 countries. Since 2018, Spherex has issued over one million age ratings for digital content, including films, TV shows, and trailers, distributed by its clients worldwide.

Spherex customers, including Umbrella Entertainment, Madman Entertainment, and Sugoi Co., rely on its AI-based platform to obtain local age ratings in Australia and significantly improve efficiency, cost reduction, and market reach.

Discover how Spherex's cutting-edge AI-based platform can streamline your content classification process and enhance your market reach while reducing costs.

Visit spherex.com today and see how we can support your content distribution needs.

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Spherex Featured in the DPP's IBC 2024: Demand versus Supply Report

Spherex was featured in the DPP’s IBC 2024: Demand versus Supply Report, a comprehensive look at how the M&E industry is meeting key customer demands. The report focuses on the topics of empowering creators, understanding audiences, engaging users, and innovating the newsroom. It also highlights many of the technical innovations seen at the recent IBC Show.

An article by Spherex’s CEO Teresa Phillips titled "Navigating Cultural Resonance in Global Media: The Art and Science of Culture Mixing" was featured in the report, exploring how Spherex is pioneering the future of culturally informed content.

Teresa shares how cultural mixing has become a critical strategy for creating content that appeals to diverse audiences in today's global media landscape. This phenomenon involves blending elements from different cultures to craft films and television shows that resonate globally while adhering to local regulations.

However, the process of culture mixing is fraught with risks. Superficial or stereotypical representations can lead to accusations of cultural appropriation or insensitivity, alienating audiences and damaging a company's reputation. For example, imposing Western concepts on Eastern content without proper context can feel inauthentic and jarring to local viewers. These missteps highlight the need for a nuanced understanding of cultural elements to ensure that content is respectful and engaging.

To address these challenges, M&E companies are increasingly turning to data-driven solutions. Platforms like SpherexAI utilize artificial intelligence to analyze visual, audio, and textual elements, providing insights into how well content aligns with cultural and regulatory standards across over 200 countries and territories. This approach helps media companies understand the "cultural distance" between a title's origin and its target market, enabling them to make informed decisions about global distribution.

By leveraging these advanced tools, M&E companies can go beyond traditional content localization. They can create media that actively engages and resonates with diverse audiences. As the industry continues to evolve, those companies that embrace culturally informed, data-driven approaches will be better positioned to succeed, fostering cross-cultural understanding and trust while delivering globally appealing content.

Download the report here.

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