{"id":4164,"date":"2018-11-08T18:07:58","date_gmt":"2018-11-08T18:07:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.styledeals.co.uk\/blog\/chinas-xinhua-agency-unveils-ai-news-presenter\/"},"modified":"2018-11-08T18:07:58","modified_gmt":"2018-11-08T18:07:58","slug":"chinas-xinhua-agency-unveils-ai-news-presenter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.styledeals.co.uk\/blog\/chinas-xinhua-agency-unveils-ai-news-presenter\/","title":{"rendered":"China’s Xinhua agency unveils AI news presenter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Media caption<\/span>China’s ‘first AI news anchor’<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

China’s state news agency has unveiled a virtual newsreader sporting a sharp suit and a somewhat robotic voice.<\/p>\n

Xinhua News claims the presenter<\/a> “can read texts as naturally as a professional news anchor”, though not everyone may agree.<\/p>\n

“Hello, you are watching English news programme,” says the English-speaking presenter at the start of his first report<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sogou, a Chinese search engine, was involved in the system’s development.<\/p>\n

“I will work tirelessly to keep you informed as texts will be typed into my system uninterrupted,” says the presenter in an introductory video<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“I look forward to bringing you the brand new news experiences.”<\/p>\n

There is also a Chinese-speaking version<\/a> with a different face.<\/p>\n

Xinhua says the presenters can “work” 24 hours a day on its website and social media channels, “reducing news production costs”.<\/p>\n

The agency points out that they may be particularly useful for disseminating breaking news reports in a timely manner.<\/p>\n

An artificial intelligence (AI) system has been used to synthesise the presenters’ voices, lip movements and expressions. They are based on those of real Xinhua presenters.<\/p>\n

This is different from using a 3D digital model of a human. It appears that photo-like facial features have been applied to a body template and animated.<\/p>\n

‘Uncanny valley’<\/h2>\n

The presenter struggled to appear completely natural, said Michael Wooldridge at the University of Oxford.<\/p>\n

It was stuck somewhat in the “uncanny valley” – a term used to describe human-like robots and avatars which seem subtly unrealistic.<\/p>\n

“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,” Prof Wooldridge told the BBC.<\/p>\n

He also pointed out that human news presenters have traditionally – in many cases – become highly trusted public figures.<\/p>\n

“If you’re just looking at animation you’ve completely lost that connection to an anchor,” he added.<\/p>\n

It was a “good first effort”, however, said Noel Sharkey, emeritus professor of artificial intelligence and robotics at the University of Sheffield.<\/p>\n

“We will see it improve over time,” he told the BBC. “The problem is that it could be very dull.”<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n