US news station announces it'll be the first to use AI-generated TV anchors

A US news station has announced its plans to release the very first AI-generated news anchors, which will be free and streamed on ad-supported services such as Crackle, Tubi, or Pluto.

The announcement comes from LA-based news station Channel 1, who said that they will be using AI-powered news anchors instead of real human people in what will likely be a world's first for a syndicated news station. A new report from the Daily Mail revealed that Channel 1's news segments will use a combination of AI-generated humans and digital avatars that were created through the use of real actors. Notably, Channel 1 will still be using real humans for its most important news stories.

The founder of Channel 1, Adam Mosam, spoke to The Daily Mail and said that the intention behind releasing AI-generated news anchors was to "get out in front and create a responsible use of technology." As for concerns regarding fake news and the potential impact on society for falsifying the news through the power of AI, Mosam says that Channel 1 intends to be extremely transparent with viewers about what footage is original and what has been generated by artificial intelligence.

However, not all journalists are convinced.

"If you believe in the concept of 'fake news,' you have seen nothing. At least your news is presented by humans. When AI news anchors replace human news anchors - the concept of fake news will have a totally different meaning," Ruby Media Group CEO Kristen Ruby shared on X (formerly known as Twitter).

If Channel 1 rolls out its new AI-anchors, it will be a first in the United States, but not globally, as China has been using the technique on its state news channels since 2018.