Willy Lamm

Willy serves as a project manager within the Technology and Production Directorate at Südwestrundfunk (SWR). As a multi-state corporation, SWR is the second largest member of the ARD, the working group of public service media (PSM) broadcasters in the Federal Republic of Germany.
Currently, Willy is working as an expert in AI cutting and AI video tools at the SWR AI Hub. Established in January 2025, this interdisciplinary unit proactively and consistently addresses the opportunities and challenges associated with the responsible use of AI.
Willy’s task is to investigate the extent to which AI can automate video production processes. His focus lies in AI-assisted video cutting. The main use case that has emerged is the production of News in Film (NiF), i.e. news clips based on report texts and raw in-house or agency video footage.
Last year, Willy led an extensive test in this area. Based on the findings, which he will present at IBC’s Technical Papers programme, he is currently collaborating with expert colleagues at SWR to explore solutions that address editorial, technical, and legal requirements. This includes considering other use cases, especially the creation of highlight clips for sports coverage.
Regarding AI-assisted video cutting, Willy is also active at the ARD level, for instance in the ARD AI network and as a member of the initiative ‘ARD Auto-Cut’.
Willy has over 15 years’ experience of managing and implementing projects at the intersection of technology and editorial processes within ARD and EU contexts. His expertise enables him to adopt a holistic approach in the sense of PSM. This is particularly evident in his work with AI, an area in which he has been working intensively since 2018. Noteworthy areas in addition to video cutting include metadata generation, speech-to-text, text-to-speech and face recognition.