Will AI Replace Human News Anchors?

Does the increase of generative AI in the news industry will affect the jobs of Human News anchors?

Just months after they became widely available, AI tools like ChatGPT are now utilized by half of the newsrooms globally, but journalists shouldn't worry about chatbots ending their jobs. Newsrooms have different ways to manage the use of Generative AI tools.

More Asian countries are adopting AI news anchors. An AI anchor collects, tracks, and categorizes what is said and who said it, then turns that data into valuable and pertinent information. Automatically produced, searchable action items help you remember important details and always keep track.

The chatbots narrated the news in a bland voice and stayed still.

But they signaled a milestone in TV and digital journalism, presenting news, weather forecasts, and financial and sports updates in real time without needing a break.

With two chatbots turning into TV presenters within three months, the speed of change driven by Artificial Intelligence has astonished even experts. While they had predicted the new technology to quickly impact industries such as financial services, information technology, and healthcare, only some expected it to expand in the media so quickly.

AI is becoming more popular in the media industry, but many Indians still don't have smartphones. More than half of the population needs help accessing mobile internet.

With 22 official languages in India, Sana and Lisa could help people enjoy news in their languages. Lisa can speak English and Odia, while Sana can speak 75 languages. But now, they only present English, Hindi, and Bangla news.

Sana showed her French skills when she discussed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's trip to France this month. She also had Hindi subtitles for the viewers.

The chatbot presenters work with human presenters and journalists, not instead of them. That's what India Today and Odisha TV say.

Lisa and Sana read the headlines first. Then they pass on to a human presenter who leads a discussion with experts.

 Sana contributes to the newsroom's efficiency and creativity. She can speak several languages, quickly switch topics, and stay energized. This is what India Today's Vivek Malhotra remarked. He is the company's marketing and strategy director.

Odisha TV concurs. Lisa is an excellent companion for them. She undertakes the tedious and analytical work so reporters can be more creative and uncover fresh perspectives. Jagi Mangat Panda stated that. He is the channel's managing director.

However, work is being done to teach the chatbots to moderate televised arguments. According to Malhotra, Sana is being trained to moderate a discussion with human and AI panelists.

"As a newsroom, we must stay on the cutting edge of all new technologies, so we will be experimenting with and adopting everything AI has to offer," he stated.

Supporters of AI news presenters highlight the benefits of 24-hour news coverage, language variety, and the capacity to analyze massive volumes of data at fast speed – such as live election results or financial updates.

Others, however, voiced concern about job stability, a lack of storytelling complexity, and the absence of a human factor.

Based on media experts such as Sevanti Ninan, who runs a platform that researches and monitors media trends and presses freedom, on-the-ground reporting and investigative journalism are safe from AI bots for the time being since they cannot duplicate human observation and experience.

"AI chatbots will save money and can be used for headlines, but I don't see how they will be able to replace a reporter out in the field asking questions." "It's too early to tell what they'll do to the concept of star anchors," she says.