Media executives anticipate regulatory action on AI content discovery

A majority of media executives expected regulators to take meaningful action on AI-powered content discovery within the next 12 months, according to a new survey from Looper Insights.

The survey of senior executives across streaming, broadcast and device manufacturing found 67% anticipated regulatory activity as AI increasingly influenced how viewers find content on connected TVs.

Executives were less aligned on what form those regulations should take. Algorithmic visibility obligations were the most-supported approach, favored by 33% of respondents.

Under that approach, certain regulated or public-service content would be required to receive visibility within recommendation systems rather than simply being available to viewers.

Another 28% supported retrieval accuracy standards that would hold AI and voice assistants accountable for correctly returning content when viewers explicitly request it.

The survey found 22% supported regulating smart TV operating systems and AI assistants as content-discovery gatekeepers. Another 17% favored fair integration rights intended to provide broadcasters and content providers equitable access to the AI systems and indexes used for content discovery.

Respondents also indicated a high level of urgency around regulatory clarity. On a scale of one to five, executives gave the issue an average urgency rating of 4.1.

Looper Insights said the findings reflected concerns that AI-driven recommendation and discovery systems were becoming increasingly important in determining which content viewers encounter, while regulatory frameworks had not kept pace with the technology.

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The survey did not identify a consensus on a specific regulatory framework, but respondents broadly indicated that regulators would need to address the role of AI in content discovery as its use expands across streaming and connected TV platforms.