Are China’s AI news anchors ‘propaganda machines’?

China’s state-run news agency has unveiled two virtual news anchors powered by artificial intelligence (AI).

The computer-generated presenters - one for English-speaking audiences and the other for Chinese viewers - are based on two of the Xinhua outlet’s real-world news readers, mimicking their speech and facial expressions, the BBC reports.

Developed in conduction with Chinese search engine Sogou, the AI anchors are designed to deliver headlines 24 hours a day and made their debut this week at China’s annual World Internet Conference, in the eastern city of Wuzhen.

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“Hello, you are watching English news programme,” says the English-speaking anchor in an introductory video on Xinhua’s Twitter page. “I will work tirelessly to keep you informed as texts will be typed into my system uninterrupted.”

The news agency says the algorithms can be used on its website and social media platforms, and will “reduce news production costs and improve efficiency”, CNN reports.

How does it work?

The AI system uses CGI renderings of Xinhua’s real-world news presenters, with the humanoids’ mouths moving in time with computer-generated speech.

The anchors are fed text by a human programmer, allowing producers to tweak scripts in real-time. As the AI anchor in the introductory video explains: “As long as I am provided with text, I can speak as a news host.”

The system could also be configured to work for “different clients in other industries”, The Guardian reports.

And in the future, it may be possible to customise each AI anchor’s appearance, so viewers could theoretically watch, say, their parents present the news, said Sogou chief Wang Xiaochuan.

Will it be used to spread propaganda?

Possibly. The Verge says that China’s press is “constantly censored” and that it is “nearly impossible” to find reports of “widespread events” that are unbiased.

As such, creating fake anchors to read propaganda, particularly if they mimic real-world reporters, will “strike many as a disturbing prospect”, the tech site adds.

AI ethics expert Professor Noel Sharkey, from Sheffield University, told the London Evening Standard that the news anchor algorithm could be used as a “big brother” tool, with an army of CGIs pumping out propaganda around the clock.

But others argue that more progress will need to be made in developing such AI anchors before they might pose a true threat.

Professor Michael Wooldridge, Oxford University’s head of computer science, told the BBC that the current AI versions are stuck in “uncanny valley”, a term used to describe human-like robots or animations that look “subtly unrealistic”.

“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,” he said.

Woodbridge also believes that while news anchors have traditionally been viewed as trustworthy figures, “if you’re just looking at animation, you’ve completely lost that connection”.

All the same, he admits it was a “good first effort”, adding: “We will see it improve over time.”