Artificial Intelligence Is Already Stealing the Jobs of Newscasters in the Global South

In November 2018, the first male artificially intelligent news anchor, modeled after news anchor Zhang Zhou, made his debut with Xinhua News Agency, China. This AI news anchor reported in English, but with distinctly robotic speech and unnatural movements. A year later, the first female AI news anchor, modeled after another real-life news anchor, Qu Meng, made her first appearance with Xinhua News Agency. Although her speech wasn’t convincingly human to the trained ear, her movements were already leaps and bounds better than the male colleague who was released before her. She blinked and moved as if she were breathing. If you could ignore the strange way her lips moved, your brain might be tricked into believing she was just an odd newscaster.

Back then, these AI bots were just small, quirky innovations that would never pose a threat to human livelihood. It was all thought to be a weird Black Mirror episode. Nobody would listen to AI and be satisfied, not when they present themselves as blatantly robotic.

Then, July 2023 came, and a woman named Lisa was introduced by Odisha TV (more popularly known as OTV) as their latest newscaster. She donned a red and yellow-gold saree and looked as if she was reading off a teleprompter with the way she moved her head. Lisa would, later on, be revealed as the first AI newscaster in local Indian news. She said that OTV marked a “historic moment” not just in the region of Odisha, but also for all the other broadcast networks in India. She’s quite popular and even has her own Instagram account.

Lisa’s introduction was met with mixed opinions. The majority of the comments from OTV’s YouTube channel were amazed that local networks were able to use AI to create Lisa. There were also those who accepted the inevitability of AI “replacing humans.” One of the most liked comments, however, claimed that AI could never replace the true talents of classic local news anchors and newer news anchors who had unmatched energy.

Now, on September 24, 2023, Maia and Marco made their first run as sportscasters on GMA Integrated News (GMA) during a popular collegiate sporting event in Metro Manila, Philippines. They looked like conventionally attractive Filipino celebrities who knew their way in front of the camera. They looked like they were breathing, and they would make minute movements that were convincingly human.

They also spoke candidly in both English and Tagalog, which are two of the Philippines’ official languages. Many were critical of these AI Sportscasters, so much so that GMA had to release a clarification video stating that AI Sportscasters will not replace the “human aspect” of broadcasting and are only going to be used as a supplement.

Some comments argued that if they were not going to replace humans, then why were they made in the first place? Many Filipinos also shared their favorite silly clips of local newscasters. There was even one where a notable local newscaster was able to make small talk to guarded soldiers and got them to greet Merry Christmas on live TV.

People are consistently looking for humanity in these AI newscasters, and they fail because they have yet to have a distinct personality like real newscasters. Real newscasters have distinct personalities that react to situations they’re reporting on, which is why many people are able to witness great comedic timing during funny reporting moments, or real, raw anger over unjust events. It’s ominous to put “yet” in terms of developing a personality for AI, but if they’ve come so far to look and sound human, then it isn’t outside the realm of possibility for developers to try harder and succeed.

There are no strict regulations around AI in India and the Philippines, even if both countries are contemplating its ethical use. China, on the other hand, has new regulations on AI. Some of these regulations include the protection of an individual’s intellectual property from infringement, but their effectiveness can only be tested with time. Until then, newscasters and artists from the Global South will have to hold their breath.

(featured image: screenshots)