Rising Concerns Surrounding AI-Generated News Anchors
An AI clone news anchor, "Roxana," was introduced to a packed audience earlier this month at RealScreen West 2023, a conference connecting content creators and producers with television executives.
Marc Scarpa, co-founder of Defiance Media, demo-ed Roxana, a life-like artificial intelligence-generated clone of a human who reads news fed to it by copying and pasting internet text.
While creators like Scarpa boast selling points like the ability to deliver breaking news in up to 80 languages globally, every two hours, AI-generated media poses concerns due to the potential for its much more sinister implications.
One of the chief fears is the use synthetic media to spread deception quickly, easily, and cheaply to targeted audiences using social media and the web.
AI systems are trained on large datasets, which may contain inherent biases which could result in AI-generated clones spreading disinformation, misinformation, perpetuating biases, and potentially influencing public opinion in undesirable ways.
There are also ethical concerns over the potential for the intentional feeding of false, misleading, and deceptive content to artificial intelligence anchors.
China
While the technology is cutting-edge, Scarpa is not the first to implement it.
In 2018, Chinese News agency Xinhua News unveiled its first artificial intelligence news anchor. The virtual anchor created using machine learning by Chinese tech firm Sogu was displayed at China's annual World Internet Conference in Wuzhen.
Serving as a digital twin for a human news anchor named Qiu Hao, it is reported that the clone reads text and continuously learns from live broadcasting videos.
In 2019, Xinhua launched a female AI news anchor, "Xin Xiaomeng," also developed by Chinese tech firm Sogu, whose voice and image were clones of a reporter named Qu Meng, a news anchor at Xinhua's New Media Center.
Some viewers praised China's technological advances as "amazing" and "impressive."
Others used sentiments like "disturbing," "creeped out," and "scary."
There were also comments, expressing anxieties that AI-cloned anchors were another way to "control the message" and even expressing fear over the possibility of hacking the cloned anchor.
Saudi Arabia
In April 2023, Kuwait News introduced "Fedha," its AI clone news anchor, on its Twitter account. The AI clone spoke Arabic and requested feedback on what type of news the Twitter audience prefers.
The deputy editor-in-chief for Kuwait News was quoted in a recent interview stating that the implementation of Fedha tested its potential to offer new and innovative content.
Radio
Because these AI-generated virtual twins are so realistic, some viewers may have difficulty differentiating AI clones from real humans, further elevating unease over its use.
Portland-based radio station, Live 95.5 recently released AI "Ashley," a cloned version of its midday anchor Ashley Elzinga.
A video posted to Twitter by the radio station displayed the artificial intelligence clone, who is reportedly slated to be part of her five-hour show daily, calling a listener, asking questions in a natural conversational tone, and announcing the win of concert tickets.
The AI voice clone was nearly undetectable from its human counterpart, although some listeners noted the lack of enthusiasm on the AI avatar's part.
Technology like RadioGPT, an AI-driven content solution developed by Futuri, allows AI-cloned anchors like AI Ashley to exist in the radio and television space.
Visit RadioGPT's site, and a sample of their technology is available with a mouse-click. Between each song, AI clones deliver audio-realistic news updates and sound bites.
One voice clone confirms that every voice you hear on RadioGPT is "one hundred percent AI." On the site, you'll also be met with user testimonials praising RadioGPT's AI technology, which is reported to be run by OpenAI’s GPT-3 technology, for helping to streamline processes and increase efficiency.
While AI’s technological advancements do offer new possibilities, it's crucial that, as we leverage their capabilities, also balance it with preserving vital and valued elements of human-based-executed journalism.
It's imperative to weigh the implications while ensuring that integrity, credibility, and human connection remain intact.
By addressing present concerns, it's this writer's hope that we can strive for a future where technology remains one of many tools we leverage while ethical humans remain in the driver's seat, delivering reliable, factual, and accurate information to discerning audiences for generations to come.
(A related article may be found here.)
V. Venesulia Carr is a former United States Marine, CEO of Vicar Group, LLC, and host of Down to Business with V.," a television show focused on cyber-awareness and cyber-safety. She is a speaker, consultant, and news commentator providing insight on technology, cybersecurity, fraud mitigation, national security, and military affairs. Read more of her reports - Here.
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