Are China’s AI news anchors ‘propaganda machines’?
State-run media outlet Xinhua says virtual presenters will ‘reduce production costs’
China’s state-run news agency has unveiled two virtual news anchors powered by artificial intelligence (AI).
The computer-generated presenters - one for English-speaking audiences and the other for Chinese viewers - are based on two of the Xinhua outlet’s real-world news readers, mimicking their speech and facial expressions, the BBC reports.
Developed in conduction with Chinese search engine Sogou, the AI anchors are designed to deliver headlines 24 hours a day and made their debut this week at China’s annual World Internet Conference, in the eastern city of Wuzhen.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“Hello, you are watching English news programme,” says the English-speaking anchor in an introductory video on Xinhua’s Twitter page. “I will work tirelessly to keep you informed as texts will be typed into my system uninterrupted.”
The news agency says the algorithms can be used on its website and social media platforms, and will “reduce news production costs and improve efficiency”, CNN reports.
How does it work?
The AI system uses CGI renderings of Xinhua’s real-world news presenters, with the humanoids’ mouths moving in time with computer-generated speech.
The anchors are fed text by a human programmer, allowing producers to tweak scripts in real-time. As the AI anchor in the introductory video explains: “As long as I am provided with text, I can speak as a news host.”
The system could also be configured to work for “different clients in other industries”, The Guardian reports.
And in the future, it may be possible to customise each AI anchor’s appearance, so viewers could theoretically watch, say, their parents present the news, said Sogou chief Wang Xiaochuan.
Will it be used to spread propaganda?
Possibly. The Verge says that China’s press is “constantly censored” and that it is “nearly impossible” to find reports of “widespread events” that are unbiased.
As such, creating fake anchors to read propaganda, particularly if they mimic real-world reporters, will “strike many as a disturbing prospect”, the tech site adds.
AI ethics expert Professor Noel Sharkey, from Sheffield University, told the London Evening Standard that the news anchor algorithm could be used as a “big brother” tool, with an army of CGIs pumping out propaganda around the clock.
But others argue that more progress will need to be made in developing such AI anchors before they might pose a true threat.
Professor Michael Wooldridge, Oxford University’s head of computer science, told the BBC that the current AI versions are stuck in “uncanny valley”, a term used to describe human-like robots or animations that look “subtly unrealistic”.
“It’s quite difficult to watch for more than a few minutes. It’s very flat, very single-paced, it’s not got rhythm, pace or emphasis,” he said.
Woodbridge also believes that while news anchors have traditionally been viewed as trustworthy figures, “if you’re just looking at animation, you’ve completely lost that connection”.
All the same, he admits it was a “good first effort”, adding: “We will see it improve over time.”
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The complex environmental toll of artificial intelligence
The explainer AI is very much mostly not green technology
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Artificial history
Opinion Google's AI tailored the past to fit modern mores, but only succeeded in erasing real historical crimes
By Theunis Bates Published
-
AI is recreating the voices of mass shooting victims
The Explainer The parents of these victims are using the AI to try and lobby Congress for gun control
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
The murky world of AI training
Under the Radar Despite public interest in artificial intelligence models themselves, few consider how those models are trained
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published
-
Is Google's new AI bot 'woke'?
Talking Points Gemini produced images of female popes and Black Vikings. Now the company has stepped back.
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
How AI can — and cannot — be used to help air traffic controllers
The Explainer Some in the industry say AI will never replace humans, but can still be a useful assistant
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
How AI is helping companies find valuable mineral deposits
Under the Radar New technologies can trace copper, lithium and nickel with 'less environmental degradation' and cut West's reliance on China
By The Week UK Published
-
Deepfake porn: a rising tide of misogyny
Talking Point A sinister phenomenon is emerging, with thousands of sites dedicated to digitally manipulated images
By The Week UK Published