Channel 1, a news channel with only Artificial Intelligence avatars as virtual anchors and reporters, will launch in February.
A demo episode from the Channel was released on X (formerly Twitter) by the owners. In the released episode, a realistic avatar began the show like a human anchor would. Backing up what the anchor is saying, real and generated clips were included in the episode. A second avatar later appeared to explain the concept in better detail.
Channel 1 is a media and technology startup by producer Scott Zabielski and Adam Mosam. Designed for global distribution, each video is translated into different languages and viewers’ interest affects the output.
The released episode seems to suggest that the stories to be shown on Channel 1 will be drawn from sources around the world, similar to the operation of news websites. The primary difference is that artificial intelligence will take part in the editorial decisions and story selections.
Editing and production was signed off by highly trained human editors, and journalists copywrote them. However, the AI produces some of the story selection and on-screen output. Where ‘cameras don’t have access’ will be generated by AI.
The news was sourced from government documents, independent journalists, and reporting from an outside agency.
Mosam ensured that humans would be involved in every step of the editorial process. He added that Channel 1 is ‘very clear that the audience at every point in time knows exactly what they are looking at if there has been some sort of AI modification.’
An icon will appear at the corner of the screen to notify viewers when AI has been used to change something real or if it was involved in the visuals of a segment.
Zabielski stated that the aim of Channel 1 was solely to replace the anchors who only read off the teleprompters, not the actual journalists researching and writing the stories. It allows off-camera reporters the opportunity to have their work showcased on television.
Mosam explained that the AI-generated anchor has a ChatGPT-like model behind it to provide it with flexibility and personality.
Channel 1 will launch early next year on streaming services and other traditional platforms. Mosam stated that the end goal is to provide viewers with the opportunity to customize any part of their viewing experience.
By Marvellous Iwendi.
Source: Tom’s Guide