Built This Week/AI by Industry

AI by Industry

AI in Media and Entertainment

AI video already makes commercials, trailers and clips starring you in a day. Jordan calls it a threat to Hollywood that democratizes content, yet no AI-made show has broken through.

By Jordan Metzner & Sam Nadler · From our episodes · Updated October 2026

Watch: Episode 17, Sora API, AI Automations, and Apple’s M5 Chip from 09:25

On Built This Week, AI in media and entertainment mostly means video. We built our own studio on top of Veo, Seedance and other models, made commercials in a day, put ourselves into clips with Sora 2, and now edit video with code. Jordan's view has two sides: AI video threatens Hollywood and anyone who films content for a living, and it lets a kid in a bedroom make a TV commercial. Months later he also pointed out that no AI-made show or movie has broken out yet. For songs and AI artists, see our AI in music page.

But, yeah, obviously, it's a huge threat to Hollywood and, you know, content creators overall that were filming content historically, but it's just an exciting time because, you know, it democratizes content creation.

— Jordan Metzner, Episode 17

What we've seen AI do in media and entertainment

We haven't hosted a studio or media company yet, so this section covers what the hosts tested and debated on air.

Commercials in a day

Within days of launching our video studio, one of our video editors generated 20 to 30 clips, stitched them together and added a voice-over for a nature-documentary-style capybara commercial for an off-site planning business. Sam said it was done within a day and would previously have cost thousands of dollars or not been made at all. A Wes Anderson-style spot for Ryz Labs got good reviews on social. (Episode 1)

Sora 2 and Cameo: you are the star

In Episode 15 (13:24), Jordan showed Sora 2's Cameo feature: you film your face from a few angles, then appear in your own videos. He showed himself tanning leather, on an oil rig, skydiving and driving a Formula One car. His read: the videos are more interesting when you're the star, and this is the first real video continuity, which is what you need to tell a story with one character. Sam noted you can only make videos of people who have granted you access, which is why so many feature Sam Altman.

Licensed voices and fake crowds

Two news stories showed both sides of AI likeness. When ElevenLabs launched a marketplace licensing iconic voices, many of them from estates, Jordan saw a new revenue stream: after weeks of hearing that Veo and Sora are killing actors, here was talent monetizing its persona. (Episode 21) On the other side, viewers accused Will Smith's tour video of using an AI-generated crowd. Sam expects every public figure to use AI to influence audiences to some degree. (Episode 10)

What we built

  • Ryz Labs Video Studio: one shared app where the whole team can generate with Veo 3, Veo 2, Seedance and image models, pay per use instead of a seat at every video tool. Everyone sees what colleagues generated, which Sam said helps inspire new ideas.
  • Sora 2 API video generator: horizontal or vertical clips, a choice of length (we used 12 seconds), a reference image and watermark removal. On the same "two capybaras on the podcast" prompt, Jordan said: "honestly, I thought the Veo 3.1 was better."
  • AI image editing chatbot: chained edits on one photo (a cowboy hat, a ranch, a cartoon style) while keeping the person recognizable. Jordan pointed to product placement, actors and models as uses, and a product-placement beer edit is where it fell short.
  • Candidate highlight reel builder: Sam's tool turns an AI interview video and transcript into a branded sizzle reel. AI picks the best clips, a recruiter trims them, and Remotion renders the video. Jordan calls Remotion "video editing as code" and also uses it for product trailers and for turning a 65-page slide deck into a narrated video.

What's still hard

  • Cost. Veo 3 was about $6 per eight seconds when we built the studio, and generations aren't always usable, so a 30-second spot could run $60 to $100. Sora 2 cost Jordan nothing in the app, but access was invite-only and he was sometimes turned away for lack of servers.
  • Physics and continuity slips. Sora 2 videos showed strange fingers, and Sam noticed Jordan wore the same black hoodie from his face scan in many of them. Chained image edits can degrade, since each one is "an image of an image of an image."
  • Not good enough for producers yet. In Episode 50, Jordan said we've seen AI trailers and commercials but no AI-made TV show or Netflix movie. His guess is the quality still isn't high enough for producers and directors, and our own AI videos often end up suboptimal compared with reality.
  • Real or fake. Jordan warned that photo edits like his beer-in-a-Zoom-call image could be used dangerously in the wrong hands, and he expects some kind of watermarking or detection, through regulation or otherwise.
  • Rendering takes time. Sam's Remotion reels take five to ten minutes to render. That still beats waiting hours or days on an editor.

Episodes on AI in media and entertainment

FAQ

How is AI used in media and entertainment?

On our show we've used it to generate commercials and social clips with Veo and Sora, put ourselves into videos with Sora 2 Cameos, edit images by chat, and render branded video from code with Remotion. In the news we covered AI voice licensing and an AI-generated concert crowd.

Will AI replace Hollywood?

Jordan called AI video a huge threat to Hollywood and to creators who film content, but also said it democratizes content creation. By July 2026 he noted nobody had released an AI-made TV show or Netflix movie, likely because quality still isn't high enough for producers and directors.

Is Sora 2 or Veo 3.1 better?

In our side-by-side test in October 2025, both hosts judged Veo 3.1 Fast better and more realistic on the same capybara prompt. Sora 2's standout was Cameo, which puts your own face into generated videos.

How much does AI video cost?

When we built our video studio in June 2025, Veo 3 cost about $6 per eight-second clip, so a 30-second commercial could take $60 to $100 in generations. Jordan noted that's still far cheaper than a full day of shooting.