How RTL NL is leveraging AI to shape the future of media

With a legacy of storytelling, RTL Nederland has long been at the forefront of entertainment, news, and digital innovation. But behind the scenes, AI is playing a critical role in transforming how content is created, delivered, and experienced.

To dive deeper into how AI is shaping RTL’s media landscape, we spoke with Prajakta Shouche, Data Scientist and Machine Learning Engineer at RTL NL, about her work, the company’s AI-driven projects, and why RTL is supporting AI4ALL and women working in AI.

AI in media: more than just recommendations

With multiple TV channels, a streaming platform (Videoland), RTL News, Ad Alliance, and even a weather app (Buienradar), RTL is one of the biggest digital players in the Netherlands. This vast ecosystem means AI is applied in many ways, from optimizing video content to supporting editorial teams and enhancing ad placements.

“The diversity of RTL’s business units makes it a really interesting place for AI and data science. We work on forecasting, video processing, content recommendations, and even AI tools to help editors in their workflows.”

Among RTL’s AI-driven innovations:

Video Content Optimization – AI supports editors and content creators by generating insights and assisting in video editing.
Ad Targeting – Unlike many platforms, RTL’s AI-driven ads focus on content relevance rather than user tracking, ensuring ethical advertising.
AI in Marketing – Generative AI has been used in ad campaigns to create personalized, visually compelling marketing materials.

“We’ve done campaigns where GenAI helped create the vision that editors were looking for, letting AI handle the heavy lifting while human creativity adds the finishing touch.”

RTL continues to explore AI solutions that enhance the user experience. One of the most user-facing AI features is the “Skip Intro” function on Videoland, which uses AI to detect where an intro starts and ends for a seamless viewing experience.

Other AI innovations include:

Personalized content recommendations – Helping users discover new shows and news articles.
Video processing automation – Assisting RTL’s editors and journalists in content creation.
Exploring AI-powered user tools – While still in the early stages, RTL is looking at ways for users to interact directly with AI for content personalization.

“We are carefully exploring how users can engage with AI directly on our platforms. Customer-facing AI requires extra caution, but it’s an exciting direction.”

At RTL, AI is more than a business tool, it’s a way to enhance storytelling, optimize content, and improve user experience while ensuring ethical and responsible AI use.

Ethical AI & research: beyond business impact

As a media company directly connected to the public, RTL is highly aware of AI’s societal impact. Beyond optimizing content and ads, RTL also invests in AI research with long-term ethical considerations.

A standout initiative was RTL’s Online Hate Analysis Project, which examined social media comments on RTL’s shows to understand how online hate disproportionately affects marginalized groups.

“We used AI to label and analyze social media comments on RTL’s content, confirming what many suspect, marginalized groups receive significantly more hate online. With human validation ensuring accuracy and context, this data-driven approach highlights a real issue that needs addressing.”

Another initiative is RTL’s collaboration with the University of Amsterdam and Maastricht University in the TAIM Lab, which focuses on bias in AI, fair AI practices, and inclusivity in media AI applications.

“We have PhD students working with us, studying AI bias, perception, and fairness in applications like advertising, personalization, and trailer generation. AI in media isn’t just about innovation, it’s about making sure what we build is responsible and fair.”

Bias in AI remains a critical challenge, especially in the media. AI models can unintentionally reinforce stereotypes or exclude certain demographics, as seen in past industry-wide cases. RTL is actively researching AI bias to develop more inclusive AI systems.

“Even when companies don’t intend to be biased, AI can inherit biases from training data. That’s why dedicating time to researching bias in AI is so important.”

An innovative example of trustworthy AI in media is RTL’s fact-checking project for government debates. AI tools were developed to detect edited video clips online and point users to the original source, helping combat misinformation.

“With AI, we built a system that finds edited clips of government debates on social media and links them back to the original source, allowing users to verify what was actually said.”

As AI continues to evolve, RTL is committed to exploring new possibilities while maintaining ethical, responsible AI practices. By investing in research, bias reduction, and AI transparency, RTL is not just shaping the future of entertainment, but also ensuring AI benefits everyone.

“AI at RTL isn’t just about business growth, it’s about creating technology that is responsible, inclusive, and impactful.”

Why RTL supports the AI4ALL & Women in AI Benelux Gala

RTL has been a proud sponsor of the Women in AI Benelux Awards in collaboration with AI4ALL Gala for two years, something that started as a grassroots initiative by women within RTL’s AI team.

“My colleague and I were the only women in our team. After attending the AI4ALL Gala two years ago, we realized the event was not just for women, but for everyone supporting women in AI. We wanted to bring more colleagues and extend that support, eventually leading RTL to become a sponsor.”

Highlighting and supporting women role models in AI is a key part of fostering gender diversity in tech.

“It’s important to normalize the presence of women in AI. By showcasing the achievements of women in this field, we help make their presence more commonplace rather than exceptions in the tech industry.”

The AI talent pipeline remains an industry-wide challenge, as fewer women apply for AI roles.

“We’ve noticed that when hiring for AI roles, there simply aren’t as many women applicants. The problem starts way before the hiring stage, which is why events like the Gala and Award Ceremony matter to inspire and encourage more women to pursue AI careers.”

As RTL continues to push the boundaries of AI in media, it remains a strong supporter of diversity and inclusion in the field. AI4ALL is proud to have RTL as a sponsor in our mission to empower more women in AI.

Let’s continue to celebrate innovation, diversity, and ethical AI development TOGETHER!