‘AI news anchor’ created by China’s Xinhua news agency

Xinhua’s English-language
AI anchor.
New China
TV/YouTube

• China’s state press agency has developed “AI news
  anchors,” avatars of real-life news presenters which read out
  news as it is typed.
• It developed the anchors with Chinese search engine
  giant Sogou.
• There was no detail given as to how exactly the anchors
  were made, and one expert said they fell into the “uncanny
  valley,” when avatars have an unsettling resemblance to
  humans.

China’s state-run press agency Xinhua has unveiled what it claims
are the world’s first AI-generated news anchors.

Xinhua revealed the anchors at the World Internet Conference on
Thursday. Modeled on two real presenters, the agency showcased
two AI-generated anchors, one who speaks Chinese and another who
speaks English.

“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,” Xinhua
told the South China Morning Post.

In a post, Xinhua
said that the generated anchors can work, “24 hours a day on
its official website and various social media platforms, reducing
news production costs and improving efficiency.” 

Xinhua developed the “anchor” with Sogou, China’s second biggest
search engine. No detail was given about exactly how they were
made, but it was possibly achieved by training an AI system on
footage of the real anchor.

Although Xinhua claims that the avatar “learns from live
broadcasting videos by himself,” the avatars themselves do not
appear to artificially intelligent, as they read pre-typed text.

“I will work tirelessly to keep you informed as texts will be
typed into my system uninterrupted,” the English speaking anchor
says in his first video, using a synthesized voice.

You can watch the first appearance of the
English-language “AI news anchor,” who is modeled on real
presenter Zhang Zhao, here:

Convincing though it might seem at first glance the movement of
the mouth is clearly edited, its facial expression seems limited,
and the voice is also highly robotic.

Oxford computer science professor Michael Wooldridge told the BBC
that the anchor fell into the “uncanny valley,” a term which
refers to when avatars or objects look like humans but feel
subtly unnatural, and are therefore uncomfortable to watch.

You can watch the AI anchor’s report on China’s
relationship with Panama here:

“As an AI news anchor under development, I know that there is a
lot for me to improve,” the AI-generated anchor says as it signs
of its report.