How Professional Content Producers and Hobbyist Creators Are Navigating the Threat and Promise of GenAI

I think generative AI is leveling the playing field for many. Individual creators, influencers, and even indie studios will benefit more because they have more means for production at their disposal.Filip Sokołowski - Manager | BCG Vantage, Technology, Media & Telecommunications

The future of AI in filmmaking is no longer a theoretical debate happening in writers' rooms or on VFX artists' forums. It has arrived on our screens. With Netflix's recent use of generative AI for a visual effects sequence in its Argentine series The Eternaut, the industry has crossed a significant threshold. The "magic" of AI is no longer confined to pre-production scripts or post-production editing; it is now part of the final product viewed by millions.

This shift forces the entire creative industry to confront a series of profound and uncomfortable questions. When anyone can generate content, what is the value of a trusted brand? When technology can create, what is the role of the human artist?

We spoke with Filip Sokołowski, a passionate content creator and manager at Boston Consulting Group specializing in the Technology, Media, and Telecommunications sector. With over a decade of experience advising clients across the media value chain, Sokołowski is on the front lines of this transformation. He argues that while most focus on AI's surface-level efficiencies, its most disruptive impact is something far more fundamental: a complete reordering of the creative hierarchy.

• Leveling the playing field: "I think generative AI is leveling the playing field for many," Sokołowski says. "Individual creators, influencers, and even indie studios will benefit more because they have more means for production at their disposal." For Sokołowski, the central question is not if creative professionals should use AI, but how. He advocates for a framework of human-led augmentation, where technology serves as a powerful tool, not a replacement for judgment.
• The pilot and the co-pilot: "I am the pilot, and AI is the co-pilot," he explains. "I ultimately need to make the decision." This model is already in practice on the business side of Hollywood, where AI helps forecast box office returns and informs greenlighting decisions. But as these tools become more powerful and integrated into the creative process itself, the risk of over-reliance grows, leading to a new kind of operational threat.

With democratized AI adoption, however, comes the risk of "creativity outage". This tension between empowerment and dependency extends to the artists themselves. "You should always remain capable of using the tools you are supposed to use to do your job without becoming too dependent," Sokołowski says. While the fear of job displacement is real, particularly for roles in translation and localization, Sokołowski offers a more optimistic, human-centric reframe.

• Reducing the 'most painful' hours: "To a great extent, the stuff that will go away is also the most painful hours in your week," he notes. "You can use that time to do more meaningful, creative work that you actually want to do." But the most profound consequences of this technological shift may be felt by the audience.

  

  In a world where anyone can churn out content, what ultimately sets you apart is brand and trust. Publishers have to prove their authenticity, otherwise they risk drowning in a sea of GenAI slop.Filip Sokołowski - Manager | BCG Vantage, Technology, Media & Telecommunications

  Sokołowski argues that humans are fundamentally drawn to human stories and human competition, pointing to a modern cultural phenomenon as proof.

• The death of pop culture: "There's nobody watching two chess bots playing chess on Twitch right now," he says. "You still have an inherent interest in watching humans play against humans." That inherent interest is threatened by a future of hyper-personalized content, where shared media experiences vanish. "If everyone just generates 'their own stuff', you have the death of pop culture. We lose that shared experience of telling stories around the campfire."

• A sea of GenAI slop: In a world where anyone can generate content at scale, the ultimate defense for established media companies is not technology, but trust. This creates a powerful business incentive to prove authenticity through transparency, a push supported by both regulation like the EU AI Act and industry-led initiatives like the C2PA. "In a world where anyone can churn out content, what ultimately sets you apart is brand and trust," Sokołowski says. "Publishers have to prove their authenticity, otherwise they risk drowning in a sea of GenAI slop."

With the technology now impossible to put back in the box, he argues the only path forward is not a top-down mandate, but a collaborative pact built on mutual respect. "It's really about co-creation; nothing should be mandated top-down to creatives and talent. This must be a symbiotic relationship. Pandora's box is open now, and it's not going away."

*All opinions expressed in this piece are those of Filip Sokołowski, and do not necessarily reflect the views of his employer.