41% of brands using AI for video, up from 18% last year
AI is making video production a whole lot easier, and brands are taking advantage of it.
A new report found that 41% of brands now use AI for video creation, up from 18% in 2024.
Wistia’s 2025 State of Video Report data comes from over 14 million videos and surveys of 1,300 professionals. It also addressed video engagement and budget trends.
The report attributes the surge in the use of AI for video to the increasing accessibility of AI tools, empowering marketers to streamline production and enhance video quality.
The report found:
- More than 60% of AI users leverage or plan to use AI for captions, a 572% increase in caption usage since 2021.
- Voice dubbing (38%) and language translation (31%) are also popular AI applications.
- AI is primarily used for pre-production planning (scripting, brainstorming) and post-production editing (captions, dubbing, visuals).
Video engagement metrics and trends
The report found that short-form and how-to videos were among the top performers. Engagement findings from the report include:
- Videos under 1 minute maintain the highest average engagement rates (50%), followed by 1–3 minute videos (46%) and 3–5 minute videos (45%).
- Overall, video engagement experienced a four-year low in 2024, with 3 to 5-minute videos seeing the steepest decline (10%).
- How-to videos consistently achieve high engagement, with short videos reaching 82% and longer videos (5–30 minutes) holding at 58%.
- Calls to action (CTAs) in the first quarter of short videos (under 60 seconds) convert nearly 40% of viewers.
- Although lead generation form usage has declined, video conversion rates have increased by 11% year-over-year, emphasizing the importance of well-placed CTAs.
Dig deeper: Are attention spans really getting shorter? How should marketers respond?
Video budgets and challenges
The Wistia report found businesses are increasing their investment in video.
- 57% of companies are increasing their video budgets, while only 5% are reducing them.
- Company goals and objectives (60%) and product/service launches (52%) are the primary factors influencing video production.
- Company size/resources (58%), cost (38%) and technical capabilities (25%) remain the main challenges to video creation.
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