The Indian media group announced this month its first full-time artificial intelligence (AI) news anchor. This is a bot named Sana that presents news updates several times a day. The AI-powered reporter will appear on India Today Group’s Aaj Tak news channel.
At a launch event attended by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the group’s vice chairman Kali Puriye said, “She is bright, gorgeous, ageless and tireless.
bot debuts
Sana has a human-like appearance and is given data that can be read using text-to-speech technology. The news presenter produced by is gradually gaining attention.
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In 2018, China’s Xinhua News Agency used computer graphics to create the world’s first AI-powered male newscaster. Just this year, she debuted her first AI female newscaster. Last month, Russia’s Svoye TV featured Snezhana Tumanova as the first virtual weather presenter.
Journalism jobs in danger?
NewsGPT, the world’s first news channel whose content is entirely generated by artificial intelligence, was launched in March. NewsGPT CEO Alan Levy says NewsGPT is a game changer in the world of news. But as journalism robots proliferate, there are growing concerns about their impact.
Media commentator Shailaja Bajpai told DW: “But it’s too early to say how serious it will be and how much difference it will make.”
“Possibly, bots can do breaking news, but they may not be able to react and discuss like individual anchors today,” Bajpai added. Bajpai, who has been writing about the development of television in India for 30 years, argued that AI is a big challenge.
She suggested that descriptive journalism, on-the-ground reporting, and investigative journalism could be the answer, as AI bots may not be able to replicate human observations and experiences. “We must be prepared to change and adapt to either withstand this challenge or perish in the test,” she said.
Benefit or Ruin?
Media columnist and ombudsperson Pamela Philipose said the threat posed by AI and its applications is real, and that in the near future, newsroom “Alexa” will be able to perform these tasks more efficiently than journalists get paid. I implied that it would be possible to run
“A more multi-layered problem is that AI can intentionally create disinformation,” Philipose told DW. “If the full potential of AI repurposing raw data is realized, fake news could spread through his WhatsApp texts and images, leading to stolen elections and stigmatization of targeted communities. there is.”
Many media professionals are increasingly relying on algorithms and feel that automation threatens to undermine the credibility and credibility of journalism. Additionally, the rise of AI has raised concerns about job security and the potential for perpetuating existing biases in the data AI uses to generate news.
“Of course there will be concerns if AI-generated presenters are seen as the future,” news anchor Rajdeep Sardesai told DW. “But I also recall that when computers first entered the newsroom, there was also concern that jobs would be cut.”
He believes technology should be seen as a tool to help, not an alternative. “We need to use AI and apps like ChatGPT to help newsroom functionality, not replace human skills. When it comes to propaganda, we really need AI presenters to drive it Do you?” asked Sardesai.
form an argument
With the cost of on-the-ground coverage rising in recent years, prime-hour news on television has been dominated by discussions in the studio, and some media houses have become megaphones for those in power.
Corporate and political influence overwhelms media organizations, and many commentators report a disturbing trend of media organizations not telling the truth to power but letting those in power decide what the truth should be. “AI anchors and applications can cause the collapse of democracy in ways unimaginable at this time. I think that’s our biggest worry,” says Philipose. said.
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Indian journalist and television personality Nidhi Razdan cautioned. She pointed out that AI News may need to regulate the introduction of her anchors to avoid journalism going down a slippery slope.
“That said, AI anchors will probably do a better job at being objective than their real-life counterparts. Most of them no longer speak truth to power,” says Razdan. said Mr. “The way forward is to be aware of what AI brings and be cautious,” she added.
