by Isobel Asher Hamilton

– China’s state press agency has developed what it calls “AI news anchors,” avatars of real-life news presenters that read out news as it is typed.

– It developed the anchors with the Chinese search-engine giant Sogou.

– No details were given as to how the anchors were made, and one expert said they fell into the “uncanny valley,” in which avatars have an unsettling resemblance to humans.

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

Xinhua revealed two virtual anchors at the World Internet Conference on Thursday. Both were modeled on real presenters, with one who speaks Chinese and another who speaks English.

“AI anchors have officially become members of the Xinhua News Agency reporting team,” Xinhua told the South China Morning Post. “They will work with other anchors to bring you authoritative, timely, and accurate news information in both Chinese and English.”

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

Xinhua developed the virtual anchors with Sogou, China’s second-biggest search engine. No details were given about how they were made.

Though Xinhua presents the avatars as independently learning from “live broadcasting videos,” the avatars do not appear to rely on true artificial intelligence, as they simply read text written by humans.

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

The Oxford computer-science professor Michael Wooldridge told the BBC that the anchor fell into the “uncanny valley,” in which avatars or objects that closely but do not fully resemble humans make observers more uncomfortable than ones that are more obviously artificial.

https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-news-anchor-created-by-china-xinhua-news-agency-2018-11