By Brian Thoman, Chief Technology Officer, WideOrbit

Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping how media organizations operate, automating routine tasks, optimizing decision making, and freeing teams to focus on creativity and strategy. At WideOrbit, our goal is to make that transformation real, practical, and secure.

In our recent TVB-sponsored webinar, Supercharge Your Workforce with WideOrbit AI Agents, we shared how WideOrbit is integrating AI into the fabric of media operations, creating tools that help teams work smarter and faster, without sacrificing human oversight or trust.

Our Vision for AI in Media Operations

At WideOrbit, we’re focused on using artificial intelligence to help media organizations work smarter. That means automating the repetitive, manual tasks that eat up valuable time, and using data-driven insights to help teams make faster, more informed decisions.

The goal isn’t to build AI for AI’s sake. It’s to make your day-to-day work easier and your business more efficient. And to do it in a way that’s practical, secure, and human-centered.

During the webinar, I shared how we’re approaching AI design and integration, introduced a few AI Agents already in development, and talked about how you can work with us to co-design or pilot new solutions.

Building a Strong Foundation

Our AI strategy is built on three pillars:

1. APIs and data
2. System modularization
3. Workflow automation

These three elements form the foundation for intelligent automation across traffic, billing, and digital systems.

It starts with data. By making your WideOrbit data available through secure cloud data stores, we can connect it seamlessly with AI models and tools. Our open APIs extend every product, creating flexibility so your systems can evolve with new technologies.

And finally, modularization allows us to improve workflow automation and reduce total cost of ownership. By modularizing legacy workflows, breaking them down into smaller components, we can automate repetitive tasks, streamline handoffs, and empower human staff with AI augmentation rather than replacement.

This foundation enables us to innovate safely and efficiently, creating AI that genuinely improves business outcomes without adding technical debt.

The “Human in the Loop”

One of the guiding principles in our AI work is what we call the Human in the Loop philosophy.

We believe AI should empower people, not replace them. By offloading tedious, time-consuming work to intelligent systems, teams can focus on strategy, creativity, and client relationships – work that drives real value.

AI becomes a trusted collaborator, handling the heavy lifting while your experts stay in control. The balance between automation and human insight is what builds confidence and drives adoption.

The WideOrbit AI Framework

To bring this to life, we’ve developed the WideOrbit AI Framework, a unified architecture that connects data, APIs, and workflows across the WideOrbit ecosystem.

This framework allows AI agents to interact directly with your WideOrbit environment. Whether optimizing inventory, generating proposals, or managing creative instructions, each agent understands the media business context and delivers tangible value.

We are constantly experimenting with emerging technologies, large language models, vector databases, and workflow orchestration tools, ensuring our customers can benefit from the most effective and secure AI capabilities available.

Trust is Non-Negotiable

Trust is at the core of every AI initiative we undertake. Our customers handle sensitive data, and we take that responsibility seriously. Every AI Agent is designed with privacy, security, and ethical responsibility built in from day one.

We use encryption, access controls, and continuous monitoring to ensure every system operates safely and transparently. We use prompt engineering and model weight evaluation to help prevent channel bias, ensuring recommendations promote equitable monetization across both linear and digital properties. And continuous monitoring allows us to detect and correct any issues in real time.

The goal is simple: make AI that is not only powerful, but also reliable, explainable, and trustworthy.

AI Agents Designed for Flexibility

Every media company operates differently, with unique systems, audiences, and sales structures. That’s why our AI agents are designed with flexibility at their core.

Each agent can be customized to match your business rules, data sources, and approval workflows. Whether you need automated recommendations, comparative analysis, or data-driven decision support, WideOrbit’s AI agents can adapt to your environment.

This flexibility ensures that our AI tools enhance rather than disrupt the way your teams work today, while preparing you for the innovations of tomorrow.

Meet the WideOrbit AI Agents

Here are a few examples of AI Agents already in development.

Makegood AI Agent – When a commercial spot is preempted in WO Traffic, this agent automatically pulls relevant data and generates optimized makegood recommendations. Those are emailed for review and approval, then uploaded to WO Order Connect for buyer communication. This saves hours of manual coordination and helps protect revenue while strengthening advertiser relationships.

Material Instructions AI Agent – This agent automates the exchange of creative material instructions between agencies and broadcasters. It parses incoming files, validates the data, and pushes everything directly into your WideOrbit systems. The result is fewer missed deadlines and fewer errors in creative delivery.

Plan Builder AI Agent – Acting as an AI-powered campaign strategist, this agent uses inventory, ratings, and past performance data, combined with buyer-defined goals, to generate optimized media plans. This agent the provides a comparative analysis, helping your team select the best plan to maximize yield, pricing, and advertiser value.

These agents are just the beginning. Each one is built on the same secure, modular AI framework, so automation can scale across your organization as new use cases emerge.

Collaboration on What’s Next

Every media company operates differently, with its own systems and workflows. That’s why our AI Agents are designed to be flexible, so they can adapt to your data, your rules, and your approval processes.

And because the best innovations come from collaboration, we’ve created a few ways to work together:

• Innovation Workshops to identify automation opportunities and define success metrics
• Co-Development Programs to build custom AI agents tailored to your business
• Pilot Programs to test solutions in real-world environments and refine them based on your feedback

We believe that collaboration is the key to creating meaningful innovation, and our customers are vital to helping shape what’s next. Together, we can design AI that solves real problems and delivers measurable results.

The Future of AI at WideOrbit

AI is transforming media operations, but the most exciting part is how it empowers people. By taking on repetitive tasks, AI gives your teams more time to strategize, create, and connect.

At WideOrbit, our mission is to make that transformation practical, secure, and achievable for every broadcaster and media company. And we’re just getting started. I can’t wait to see what we’ll build together, one intelligent workflow at a time.

If you’d like to learn more or explore how WideOrbit AI can transform your operations, please contact us.