The world's first AI news presenter unveiled in China | News from the world

The Xinhua State News Agency this week presented new members of its newsroom: Amnesty International presenters who will be reporting "tirelessly" all day, from anywhere in the country.

Chinese viewers were greeted with a digital version of a Qiu Hao, Xinhua's usual news presenter. The anchor, dressed in a red tie and a pin suit, nods his head, blinking and slightly raising his eyebrows.

"I can not only go with you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. I can be copied endlessly and presented on different scenes to inform you of the news, "he said.

Xinhua also presented an English-language e-mail alert, based on another presenter , which adds: "The development of the media industry requires innovation and deep integration with international advanced technologies … I look forward to bringing you new experiences.

Developed by Xinhua and the Chinese search engine Sogou, the anchors were developed by machine learning to simulate the voice, facial movements According to Xinhua

Broadcasters debuted at China's World Internet Conference, an event destined to become China's Davos for the technology sector, as well as a platform for China's vision on the Internet and the potential of new technologies.

For some of the world's largest technology companies and some 800 million Internet users, the Internet is one of the most controlled in the world. Observers worry that China will turn into a digital police state, with the recognition technology of walking and iris deployed to monitor activists, ethnic minorities in places like Xinjiang and ordinary citizens.

At the conference in Wuzhen, southern China, participants saw their photos appear on a screen as soon as they pbaded security checks with facial recognition. During a session on financial technologies, companies discussed cooperation with law enforcement agencies, providing information to negligent citizens who may be on black lists of social credit.

"We are an important defender of peace in cyberspace and a guardian of order," said Huang Kunming, general manager. head of the propaganda department of the Communist Party, speaking at the event. "China is ready to preserve the sound order of cyberspace."

According to Xinhua, AI technology is not limited to the presentation of information. The systems can be customized for different customers in other industries. Wang Xiaochuan, the leader of Sogou, gave the example of a popular book reading application, Uncle Kai. "In the future, your parents could tell this story," he said in an interview.

For Xinhua, state news presenters already well prepared and controlled, Amnesty International's ancestors go even further. The Chinese anchor video is quickly spread on social media in China, impressive and worried. "A little horrible," said one viewer, to which one user replied, "Really scary." "Another said," Chills.

While praising the achievements, Xinhua and Sogou acknowledged its limitations. "I, who was completely cloned from a real host, have mastered broadcasting as well as the actual host," said the presenter of IA. "As long as I get a text, I can speak as a news host."