Imagine this. After a long day, I decided to come home and unwind by catching up on the latest happenings around the world. So you turn on your TV, turn on your favorite news channel, and find that your usual newscaster has been replaced. It’s not that uncommon, so just shrug and keep watching.
Maybe that was one of the telltale signs, like a slightly creepy facial expression, but a few minutes later, we discovered that the anchor in question was actually a computer-generated avatar powered by AI.
This may look like a scene from a sci-fi movie, but it’s not far from reality. The first AI news anchor was launched in China in his 2018, followed by India in 2023. Both countries argue that AI anchors can not only provide objective and unbiased news reporting, but also cater to the diverse linguistic and cultural needs of their audiences.
In this article, we take a look at various popular AI newscasters and what they mean for the future of journalism.
What is an AI Newscaster?
AI News Anchor is a computer-generated model that uses natural language processing and deep learning to synthesize realistic speech and facial expressions. You can read text input and use appropriate gestures, eye contact and emotions to communicate it in a natural and engaging way. It can also adapt to different languages, accents, and styles.
Some of the benefits of AI newscasters are obvious. No salary, vacation or sick leave required. They say he can work 24/7 and cover any topic without prejudice (that is, if programmed that way) or fatigue. It can also be customized for different audiences and preferences.
AI News Anchor: Ren Xiaorong (China)
China’s Ren Xiaorong was announced last month. An AI-powered “woman”, her AI newscaster can deliver news 24/7. State-owned news outlet People Daily introduced the AI-created presenter in a video posted on Weibo, the country’s main social media platform. People Daily claimed that Xiaorong has the professional skills of “1000 presenters”.
“Whether you’re on the news site or back in the studio, you see me all the time. Every conversation you provide, every feedback you provide only makes me smarter,” she said before China’s twinkling skyline. Stand up and say it in Chinese in the video. I hope to become
Xiarong’s creator claims she can speak on any topic, but some reports say she has so far held four preliminaries on China’s “two-session” political conference. You can only answer one of the set questions. Despite her limited abilities, the overall reaction under her post was overwhelmingly positive.
Feda (Kuwait)
Earlier this week, a Kuwaiti media outlet unveiled Fedha, a virtual news presenter generated using AI. The gray-haired host appeared on her Twitter account for Kuwait News, wearing a white T-shirt with a black coat.
“I’m Fedha, Kuwait’s first presenter on artificial intelligence for Kuwait News. What news do you like? Let us know what you think,” she said in the video.
Al Jazeera reported that the magazine’s deputy editor, Abdullah Bokhtein, said it was experimenting with AI’s ability to create “new and innovative content.” He added that Fedha uses a Kuwaiti accent and may deliver news updates on his Twitter account on the site in the future. Bokhtein also explained that his name Fedha, which means silver in Kuwait, was chosen because he always imagined the robot to be silver and metal.
Xinhua AI News Anchor (China)
Claiming to be the world’s first AI newscaster, the presenter debuted in 2018 at the 5th World Internet Conference in Zhejiang, eastern China. Anchor, whose name is not revealed, seemed convincingly real, though his mouth movements and monotonous voice set him apart.
AI News Anchor was jointly developed by Xinhua News Agency, the state-owned news agency of the Chinese government, and Chinese search engine company Sogou.com. According to Xinhua, he can self-learn from live broadcast videos and is a member of his team reporting on the channel.
What does an AI newscaster mean for journalism?
There are some obvious advantages that AI anchors bring over human anchors. According to Xinhua, the AI presenter will allow him to work 24 hours a day on websites and social media handles, “reducing news production costs.” The agency also noted that it could help broadcast breaking news in a timely manner.
However, in their current state, these AI news anchors leave much to be desired, both in terms of their speech and facial expressions. Highly convincing deepfakes appear on the internet every day to scam people or spread misinformation, but these particular instances of AI anchors can easily fool people. You can not.
In countries like India, TV news is often dramatized by overenthusiastic newscasters, and a relatively monotonous tone and insensitive phrasing can hinder audience engagement. However, given the speed of AI development, this may only be a temporary hurdle. This is backed by billions of dollars worth of investments by big tech. In the near future, there may be AI anchors that are indistinguishable from human anchors.
Challenges and risks
Reaching that stage, AI newscasters could pose challenges and risks for journalism professionals and the public at large. The above Ren Xiao-Rong AI newscaster already provided pre-set answers in line with the rhetoric favored by the Chinese Communist Party, making it possible for the authoritarian government to employ AI newscasters to spread propaganda. Gender cannot be ruled out. Imagine every corner of a giant screen featuring an engaging newscaster who tirelessly acts as the government’s mouthpiece day and night.
Furthermore, as AI newscasters become more persuasive, viewers may not be able to distinguish between real and artificial presenters, which may affect the trust and credibility of news sources. .
Needless to say, AI newscasters are a double-edged sword for the future of journalism. They offer new possibilities and opportunities for media innovation and communication, but also require careful regulation and oversight to ensure ethical and responsible use.
