Like every other science fiction nerd, I have been enamored with the idea of artificial intelligence (AI) for as long as I can remember. This fascination isn’t unique to me, or even our generation. For nearly three centuries, fictional computers and artificial intelligences have captured our collective imagination. From the mechanical information generator in Jonathan Swift’s “Gulliver’s Travels” in 1726 to the planet-sized supercomputers in Douglas Adams’ “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” series, these imaginary machines have evolved alongside our technological progress. They’ve appeared in literature, films, and TV shows, ranging from helpful assistants to world-dominating entities. This rich history of fictional AI, spanning over 90 unique creations across various media, demonstrates how deeply ingrained the concept of artificial intelligence has been in our culture and aspirations. As we stand on the cusp of real AI breakthroughs, it’s fascinating to see how our current tools compare to these imaginative predecessors.

The Current Realities

Current AI models primarily operate within the realm of System 1 thinking as described by Daniel Kahneman (Kahneman, D. “Thinking, Fast and Slow”. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 2011.). This type of thinking is characterized by fast, intuitive, and automatic cognitive processes. AI excels at pattern recognition, rapid information retrieval, and generating responses based on vast amounts of training data. These models can quickly process and synthesize information, making them highly efficient at tasks like language translation, content generation, and data analysis.

However, AI still struggles with System 2 thinking, which involves slow, deliberate, and logical reasoning. While AI can simulate some aspects of System 2 thinking through complex algorithms and decision trees, it lacks true understanding and consciousness. This limitation becomes apparent when AI is faced with novel situations, abstract reasoning tasks, or problems requiring genuine creativity and adaptability. As a result, current AI is more adept at assisting with specific, well-defined tasks rather than engaging in open-ended problem-solving or conscious decision-making.

This is precisely why humans continue to play a crucial role in managing the work of AI. Human intelligence excels at both System 1 and System 2 thinking, allowing us to provide context, set parameters, and make judgments about the appropriateness and accuracy of AI-generated outputs. We can interpret nuances, understand broader implications, and apply ethical considerations that AI may overlook. By leveraging AI’s strengths in rapid information processing and pattern recognition while compensating for its limitations in conscious reasoning, humans can effectively harness AI as a powerful tool to enhance productivity and decision-making across various domains.

My Journey

As I navigate my journey to understand how AI can integrate into my workflows, I have been closely following several exciting projects. Tools like Agent Zero and CrewAI demonstrate remarkable potential for managing complex workflows using AI agents, while image generation tools such as DALL-E, Midjourney, and the innovative Flux.1 are set to transform the landscape of visual content creation. For those concerned about privacy due to the nature of their work or who lack trust in public models, Ollama presents a promising open-source solution, enabling users to run various large language models locally on their machines in an accessible manner. Securing AI-powered conversational apps is becoming increasingly vital in the realm of cybersecurity. Advanced security measures and penetration testing solutions, such as those offered by SplxAI, will play a crucial role in protecting these applications. Each of these tools warrants more in-depth exploration over time. However, as a pragmatist, I want to share a specific challenge I encountered in my own video production workflow and how I addressed it using two distinct AI tools: Sizzle.gg and Cutlabs.

The Challenge

Short-form content, including clips and shorts, has become increasingly important for creators looking to grow their YouTube channels and maximize their reach through the platform’s algorithms. These bite-sized videos serve as complementary content to long-form videos, helping to attract new viewers and increase engagement.

YouTube Shorts, launched in 2020, are vertical videos up to 60 seconds long designed for mobile viewing. They appear in a dedicated Shorts feed and can significantly boost a channel’s visibility. According to YouTube’s official blog, Shorts receive over 50 billion daily views globally. This high engagement rate makes Shorts an excellent tool for channel growth. Clips, on the other hand, are short segments extracted from longer videos, which can be easily shared and consumed.

The importance of these short-form content types lies in their ability to capture audience attention quickly and drive traffic, and serve as teasers or highlights, enticing viewers to explore a channel’s long-form content. YouTube’s algorithm favors channels that consistently produce a variety of content types, including Shorts and regular uploads. By incorporating short-form content into their strategy, creators can improve their channel’s discoverability, increase watch time, and potentially reach new audiences who prefer quick, easily digestible content.

Moreover, short-form content allows creators to repurpose their existing long-form videos, extracting the most engaging moments and presenting them in a format optimized for social media sharing. This strategy can lead to increased cross-platform promotion and audience growth. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, embracing a mix of long-form and short-form content has become crucial for creators aiming to build a strong presence on YouTube and benefit from its algorithmic recommendations.

Many “Hands” Make Light Work

While the importance of short-form content for channel growth is clear, I often find myself in the role of “chief cook and head dishwasher.” Like many of you, despite a strong desire to grow my channel, I simply don’t have enough hours in the day to produce engaging content at the volume required. Finding compelling teasers for clips or shorts adds another layer of complexity to the challenge. As I grappled with this issue, I thought, “Wouldn’t it be great if I could automate the tedious task of generating clips?”

Sizzle.gg

As I contemplated this question, I came across a video discussing Sizzle.gg. It’s important to note that Sizzle.gg primarily targets video game streamers, which means its user experience is somewhat elaborate, and its features are tailored for identifying “clipable” content from specific games. However, it also boasts an impressive Universal AI (available only to subscribers) for highlight detection that works well across a wide variety of content types.

You can set up your account to automatically track new content from your YouTube or Twitch channel, which will be displayed under the “Your VODS” section of the dashboard. From there, you can select a specific video for processing, choosing either the game type or utilize the Universal AI. Depending on the length of the original video, clips and compilations will start to appear in separate tabs for your review. The clips are automatically categorized, making it clear how the AI selected the content, such as labeling them as “Key Highlights” or “Funny Moments.”

The review window allows you to play back the clips directly on the site without needing to download them individually. You can add the content to your Sizzle.gg profile page to enhance social engagement, adjust the start or end points of the clips, share them on external social media sites, or delete them if needed. Additionally, you have the option to download the clips as they are or, as a bonus, have the engine reformat them into a vertical format suitable for YouTube Shorts, or other mobile-focused video apps.

I have found Sizzle.gg to be an invaluable tool for generating and reviewing clips over the past year, allowing me to select the best ones for my channel. However, there are some drawbacks. First, the platform doesn’t consistently pull content from my YouTube channel for processing, likely due to how YouTube presents certain types of content, especially video-on-demand from live streams. Additionally, not all generated clips are of high quality; I typically find that only about 40% are compelling enough to post. Lastly, while the “Download Vertical” feature is interesting, it doesn’t create clips that meet the standard for YouTube Shorts. Instead, it captures a vertically formatted strip from the center of the generated clip without adjusting the streamer’s camera position in the final output. Although I had discovered a useful tool for generating clips, I still needed a better workflow to create high-quality vertical short-form content for my channel and social media.

Cutlabs

About a month ago, I discovered Cutlabs, a company that specializes in creating content clips in the vertical format that is popular on mobile social media. According to their website, “Cutlabs comes with a simple proposition: create videos in one single click. Armed with the power of AI—in a bid to actually help creatives, rather than drive them to the brink of extinction—it’s a game-changing editor, viral hitmaker, and major timesaver all in one” (https://cutlabs.ai/about-us.html).

In contrast to Sizzle.gg, Cutlabs features a minimalistic and clean user interface. You can monitor your YouTube or Twitch channel for new content to clip, and once the videos are processed through their automated ingestion system, you receive an email notification when your clips are ready. Each set of clips is organized under a “Project” that corresponds to the source video and includes a score indicating the AI’s assessment of an individual clip’s potential to go viral, along with a catchy title and synopsis. I was truly impressed by the contextual awareness displayed in the AI-generated titles and descriptions. So much so that I reached out to Michael Ninh, one of the three co-founders, to share my feedback directly. He responded by inviting me to a phone call with him and a member of his UX/UI team to discuss my workflow and gather additional insights about my experience with their tool, which was almost more impressive than the tool itself.

However, like most AI tools, Cutlabs doesn’t always hit the mark. I find that I agree with their scoring and evaluation of the generated clips about 60% of the time. Nevertheless, by complementing the work done by Sizzle.gg, I have addressed gaps in my workflow that I previously didn’t have time to manage manually. This has not only saved me time but has effectively created more time, allowing me to accomplish more without incurring unreasonable additional costs.

Proof Points So Far

While it’s simple to praise something with flowery language, backing claims with data is more challenging. Although I can’t prove direct causation, I can share some compelling results. Since implementing a strategy of regularly publishing short-form clips and vertical shorts alongside my long-form content, my YouTube channel has seen significant growth. Within a single 28-day period, my channel reached an all-time high of nearly 80,000 views—an 80-fold increase over previous 28-day spans. During this same timeframe, my subscriber count almost doubled, growing to nearly 200.

For a niche channel that traditionally posted one or two hour-long videos per week, these improvements are substantial. While these numbers may not rival those of major influencers, they represent a remarkable leap in engagement and reach for my specialized content.

Final Thoughts

The AI revolution isn’t just transforming content creation—it’s reshaping entire industries. From the complex workflow management of Agent Zero and CrewAI to the visual artistry of DALL-E and Midjourney, and the cybersecurity advancements of SplxAI for safeguarding AI-powered conversational apps, AI tools are empowering professionals across diverse fields. My journey with Sizzle.gg and Cutlabs is just one example of how AI can dramatically boost productivity and reach. Whether you’re a creative professional, a business strategist, or a cybersecurity expert, the question isn’t if AI will impact your work, but how quickly you’ll adapt to harness its potential. As we’ve seen, even niche channels can experience exponential growth with the right AI-powered approach. The future of work is a symbiosis of human creativity and AI efficiency—and that future is unfolding now. Are you ready to ride this wave of innovation, or will you be left behind in the rapidly evolving digital landscape?