“Yeah, I think I’m better than Chuck Swirsky!”
In yet another step towards the dystopian future, Xinhua News Agency has added two AI news anchors to its staff. Both of them have similar likenesses to other anchors on staff, though the major difference is language;one speaks solely in Chinese, the other in English. According to the Agency itself:
AI anchors have officially become members of the Xinhua News Agency reporting team. They will work with other anchors to bring you authoritative, timely and accurate news information in both Chinese and English.
The South China Morning Post states that the AI anchors are available through Xinhua’s English and Chinese apps, TV webpage, and its WeChat public account. The technology behind the anchors is provided by Sogou, a search engine company. Xinhua states that their AI anchors can deliver the news with the “same effect” as their human counterparts. Well…
Yeah, kinda unsettling. But Xinhua notes that the real value of these AI anchors are that they’re available round the clock. They only need text input to go to work. And the effect is still fresh, so they may improve over time.
Well, I guess there’s little else to say, other than “Catch the wave“.
Source: Engadget
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