Some Thoughts on AI

I rarely let true frustration show in responding to comments, but a few days ago, I let someone get to my head. It was an older gentleman who just couldn't possibly believe that the Red River Insider's Guide was not AI. I was extremely close to saying some things I probably shouldn't have. I know that I'm not the most energetic when it comes to voiceovers. In all honesty, that's the one part of the video-making process that I don't really like all that much. Scripting, editing, filming, it's all super fun for me, and I enjoy doing it. Recording my own voice... not so much. But I'm realizing that I need to be more careful with my narration and ensure it sounds human in the future, as AI videos get better and better. I took a quiz on the New York Times this morning, to see if I could identify AI videos. I got 8/10 correct, which I thought was pretty good, but still shows significant progress for AI. These bots are primarily being used for shorts right now, so it's not yet the end of the world for long-form, but for less-established (smaller) channels like ours, once AI does start to proliferate in the long-form circles, it is crucial that we have something that stands out, to prove we aren't AI. You guys have already probably seen some AI videos--clickbaity titles, voicovers that seem just a little bit too friendly, and a script fresh off of ChatGPT. Not going to name names, but I'm sure many of you know exactly who I'm talking about. Nonetheless, here are the things we have that AI cannot replicate:

• On-camera videos like How We Would Fix It

  • Eventually, AI will be able to reproduce these types of videos, but for now, this is the most definitive proof we have that it's truly us, and not a machine talking

• Insider's Guide knowledge

  • As far as I'm aware, we're the only channel who does such a deep dive into lift lines, flat spots, and so on. Which means that unless it consults our videos, there's no way a robot would be able to find such information out. Thus, when a new Insider's guide for... let's use Ischgl for an example, comes out, only a human who actually skied Ischgl could have written an accurate script.

• Subjectivity

  • AI videos are rarely going to make fun of the little things we do in Hater's Guide because it's pointless. Unless specifically prompted to speak badly about the Airport Parking Lot at Breckenridge (which would require the person prompting to have that knowledge), AI isn't going to be able to replicate the little things we do in Hater's Guides.

• Word Flubs

  • I normally edit out all of my major mistakes when recording audio, but often there will be a minor mistake or two that makes the cut. AI voiceovers are perfect, whereas my pronunciation of "mountains," (MAU-uhnts) and "lifts," (LIF-suh) is a fairly specific quirk you can trace back to me.

• Footage audio

  • When Arjun and I record footage, we often make comments to ourselves or have something to say to the camera. This background dialogue of our opinions while skiing isn't something AI would fabricate.

These are just a few of the things that we do that AI doesn't. There are many other things that set us apart, and you'll probably see us posting pictures of editing or recording behind-the-scenes as AI use in videos grows. We vow to never use AI for voiceovers or editing of our videos, and for now, I think our brand is alright. I'm not going to use the word "safe," because I truly am scared of what AI is going to do to us. A channel like PeakRankings, who have nearly 100,000 people who can attest that they're real, well they don't have to worry as much about this stuff. But for us, a pivot in our strategy is slowly unfolding. While we're still going to make each and every video better than the last and will keep you guys #1, we now have to think about what we can do that AI can't, and capitalize on exactly that. Thank you all for all of your support.

-ShangRei Garrett