Meet AI-powered Chinese digital news anchor

When it comes to cutting-edge technology and futuristic advancements, China has a separate league. The country's state media outlet, People’s Daily, recently introduced the newest member of its news anchor team, a young woman, Ren Xiaorong. Although this may sound normal, the anchor is actually a virtual, AI-powered bot that can allegedly provide news coverage 24/7.

In a video shared by People’s Daily, Xiaorong introduced herself to the audience as an AI-powered chatbot that picked up the skills of ‘thousands of news anchors’ and assured of constantly evolving.

Apart from the synthesized and out-of-synch dubbing, the smart-dressed Xiaorong looked resembled a human news anchor.

The bot anchor can interact with the audience through an app, where people can ask many questions related to education, epidemic prevention, housing, employment, environmental protection, and multiple others, however, Xiaorong can currently only provide generic answers. 

“Hello, my name is Ren Xiaorong. I am an AI digital anchor who has just joined People’s Daily,” Ren said during her first online address. “Thousands of news anchors have imparted their professional skills to me. For 365 days, 24 hours, I will be reporting news for the whole year, round the clock, without rest.”

“Whether at news sites or back in the studio, you will always see me. Every conversation, every feedback you provide, will only make me smarter,” the virtual anchor added.

Earlier, Chinese viewers were greeted with a digital version of a regular Xinhua news anchor, named Qiu Hao. Hao wore a red tie and pin-striped suit and had a striking resemblance to a human anchor. 

VIDEO: China unveils world's first AI news anchor