Prime Video boss says AI is the biggest shift television has seen
Key Points
- Kelly Day called AI the biggest shift television has seen
- Amazon MGM Studios uses AI to cut production costs
- AI tools help small studios make cheaper, high-quality animation
- Day said AI will not replace writers or imagination
Amazon Prime Video’s Kelly Day has called AI the biggest shift in television’s history. Day, Vice President of International at Prime Video, made the comments in her keynote at the Royal Television Society (RTS) London Convention on Tuesday (29 September).
“AI is the next shift. And I believe it’s the biggest yet. What excites me about it is how we are putting transformative tools directly into the hands of creators,” said Kelly Day, Vice President of International at Prime Video.
Day said AI lets Amazon MGM Studios bring down the cost of production while maintaining quality. She added that lower costs mean more stories get made, more creative risks get taken and more diverse voices get heard.
She listed several ways AI is already being used in television production, including:
- Helping first-time filmmakers generate concept art and short films to support their pitches
- Letting small production companies create high-quality animation without a huge price tag
- Running pre-visualisation, sound design and VFX workflows in parallel to stretch tighter budgets
“That’s not a threat to creativity. That’s creativity unleashed. AI doesn’t replace imagination. It amplifies it,” said Day.
Day said Amazon is not trying to replace writers with AI models.
“We’re not looking for an AI model to write the next Fleabag – and, by the way, I don’t think it could. But AI might help the person who does spend less time on admin and more time on the creative vision that makes a show like that sing,” said Day.
She said ethical guardrails form the foundation of Amazon’s approach to AI in production.
“Of course, none of this works without trust. Human creativity leads. AI helps bring it to life. Ethical guardrails can’t be an afterthought, they have to be the foundation, and that’s the approach we’re taking,” said Day.
Day also said Prime Video uses AI to personalise recommendations, simplify synopses and create spoiler-free recaps for viewers.
Amazon chaired the RTS London Convention for the first time this year, under the theme “United in Change: If Not Now, When?”.
Day joined Amazon in 2022 after serving as President of Streaming at what is now Paramount Global. She previously worked as Chief Operating Officer for ViacomCBS Networks International, running operations across more than 100 markets.
“The investment is there. The tools to connect with audiences are better than they’ve ever been. The next generation of viewers is telling us they want more, not less. AI will help us get there faster,” said Day.
