Infocomm 2025, the largest pro AV trade show in the world, kicks off in a few weeks. Once again, we are reminded of the looming AI topic as it is a recurring part of the agenda for the event held this year in Orlando Florida. How will AI affect pro AV?
Beyond all of the fear surrounding AI, and admittedly there are more unknowns than knowns for most of us still, how will AI affect audiovisual professionals involved with AV system integration? The quick answer is AI will not be coming for most AV integration jobs.
One of the keynote speakers kicking off Infocomm 2025 will be Noelle Russell, Founder of the AI Leadership Institute. She will keynote the AVIXA Women’s Breakfast with a presentation entitled, “Navigating Challenges, Embracing Triumphs: Empowering Women in Leadership” (https://www.avixa.org/about-us/press-room/2025/05/15/noelle-russell--founder-of-the-ai-leadership-institute--will-keynote-the-avixa-women-s-breakfast-at-infocomm-2025). What do you want to bet that there will be a heavy dose of AI in her presentation?
Throughout the Infocomm 2025 agenda you can see the elements of "how AI impacts AV". This week, the American Society of Employers (ASE) posted an article, Why AI Won’t Replace Your Job – But Someone Who Knows How to Use it Might. The article stated, "There’s no shortage of headlines warning that AI is coming for your job. While that makes for dramatic reading, the truth is a little less scary. In most industries, AI isn’t poised to take over roles entirely. But it is reshaping how work gets done, and the professionals who understand how to use AI tools effectively are quickly gaining an edge. Think of AI less as a threat and more as a powerful assistant. It can streamline tasks like data analysis, content generation, scheduling, and even customer service responses. But it still requires human input, context, creativity, and decision-making. Most AI tools don’t know your organization’s strategy, brand voice, or customers. You do."
You do. In a recent Reddit group discussing AI and how it will affect car design (automotive design jobs), a Redditor, who is a current design student involved in automotive design work, posted the headline "Showing off What ai can’t teach you" and said, "If you want to learn actual car design, don’t use AI for ideating or rendering. As someone studying amongst real designers, ai is not used at all <and is> highly frowned upon. Often it’s used by people who don’t want to learn the traditions and skills that have enabled designers in the past to create some of the best cars of all time. Students who relied on. Ai definitely have yet to make it. Practice sketching, learn perspective, study real design principles and you’ll soon have better ideas, that you can effectively communicate, and best of all, claim <as> your own."
Are there some ways to leverage AI in pro AV integration jobs? Sure. Most of these fall under the ability to automate repetitive tasks, aggregating analysis options allowing for faster refinement and efficiency, simulation and testing via iterative design, and providing comprehensive insights for human decision making. AI can't consult with a customer about project specifics, AI can't conduct a comprehensive site survey, AI can't design or create something never thought of before, AI can't fabricate, assemble or do physical system functionality testing, AI can't conduct a physical installation or build anything, and AI can't swap out hardware components for repair or replacement under an Extended Support plan. You can.
Pro AV still needs passionate audio visual professionals to fill unique roles in system integration, but it might be advisable to start to understand how it can leverage your work so you can be more efficient and effective in getting the job done.
About IGI:
Immersion Graphics, Inc. (IGI) provides audio visual design, engineering, consulting, product sales, control system programming, custom fabrication, installation, preventative maintenance, and extended support services out of its headquarters location in Detroit and west coast operation in Los Angeles. Additional offices are located in Indianapolis, and Grand Rapids.
Founded in 1998, IGI has installed numerous large-scale, ultra-high resolution systems throughout the U.S. in the automotive, higher education, medical, financial, and energy transmission markets, and for the United States military and other government agencies. Applications include industrial design, engineering, data visualization, mission-critical command & control room environments, presentation systems, video conferencing, digital signage, and a variety of commercial AV solutions. To get an in depth look at what we do, see our website at www.werigi.com, we are IGI.
IGI is minority owned, veteran owned, and a small business and SBA 8(a) program graduate.
