• by Tobi Elkin  @tobielkin, May 8, 2017

Aiming to take artificial intelligence (AI) into the realm of popular culture, IBM Watson launched a storytelling competition in conjunction with the Tribeca Film Festival that invites filmmakers to use Watson as a creative tool.

The “Storytellers with Watson” competition will invite artists to submit ideas on how they would use Watson to build on their digital storytelling in film and video, Web content, gaming, augmented reality, and virtual reality. The deadline for submissions is May 18.

IBM Watson said it wants to see how filmmakers will elevate their storytelling techniques by using Watson. The company said the digital assistant can help filmmakers make decisions and manage tons of data in the form of images, scripts, and video to identify patterns they can use in the creative process.

For example, screenwriters can use Watson to understand how they should approach certain themes that best resonate with audiences.

Filmmakers can also use Watson to simplify pre-production planning and help producers see which backdrops might be best for each scene. Watson can aid in the editing process by scanning through all content to help identify which scenes are the best to use in a film.

IBM said one of the most powerful applications of Watson is its ability to integrate real-time dialogues. For example, directors can use Watson to tap into the same conversational technology that powers customer service chatbots and transform it into voice-based interactions that complement virtual and augmented reality. In addition, filmmakers can use Watson to better understand their fan base as they craft a marketing strategy for their films.