The world of journalism is no stranger to technological advancements. From the introduction of the telegraph in the 19th century to the emergence of social media in the 21st century, how we consume and share the news has continually evolved.
The latest innovation comes from Kuwait, where the state-owned news agency has unveiled an artificial intelligence (AI)-generated news anchor. But what does this mean for the future of news reporting and is everyone excited about this advancement?
A New Face For Journalism?
Kuwait News recently reported on its Twitter account that it had created its own AI-generated news anchor. Its Name is ‘Fedha’, which means Silver in Arabic, and it appears the name choice relates to how the world sees robots and portrays AI. Silver, metal and futuristic.
@kuwaitnews, the organisation’s Twitter account, said in a Tweet: “I’m Fedha, the first presenter in Kuwait who works with artificial intelligence at Kuwait News. What kind of news do you prefer? Let’s hear your opinions”.
The announcement might sound super futuristic, but Kuwait isn’t the first to use AI generation in its news reporting. In 2018, China revealed the world’s first AI news anchor, which, according to the BBC, speaks with a robotic voice and isn’t very entertaining to watch. Although, Xinhua, China’s official state-run news agency did have high hopes for improvements in that respect.
It stated that “he” could work 24/7 across its news platform, reading text as a human could and pushing breaking news out across social media platforms.
“I will work tirelessly to keep you informed as texts will be typed into my system uninterrupted,” says the presenter in an introductory video.
Concerns Around Job Losses
Not everyone is convinced that the introduction of AI into the newsroom is a positive step forward. Some experts in the field of journalism have raised concerns about the potential impact of AI-generated news anchors on the industry.
They argue that while AI technology can certainly make news production more efficient and cost-effective, it also has the potential to reduce the role of human journalists in the newsroom.
Additionally, there are concerns about the reliability and impartiality of AI-generated news. While ‘Fedha’ is able to present news stories in a neutral tone, the technology behind the avatar is only as unbiased as the data it is trained on. This means that if the data used to train the AI is biased or incomplete, the news stories presented by Fedha or other AI-generated news anchors may also be biased or incomplete.
Despite these concerns, the introduction of AI in the newsroom represents a significant step forward in the use of AI technology in journalism. As AI continues to evolve, it is likely that we will see more and more AI-generated content in the news industry.
The question remains whether or not this technology will complement or replace human journalists.
What do you think? Would you trust news coming from an AI-generated source or would you prefer to stick to traditional journalism? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
