China has AI-controlled robot as news anchor

China's state-run Xinhua News Agency presented the world's first artificial intelligence robot as a news anchor. Xin Xiaomeng, as he is called, was inspired by the appearance of Qu Meng, the human host of the same newscast, and is capable of subtle eye, mouth, head and arm movements and smiling - all very naturally.

Xin Xiaomeng premiered on TV starting the event known as Two Sessions, consisting of meetings between the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the National People's Congress (NPC), staying on for 1 minute.

In the video below, you can check out Xin Xiaomeng's performance and see how impressive his eye movement is, as if reading the teleprompter.

Developed by Xinhua in conjunction with Chinese search engine company Sogou Inc., Xin Xiaomeng will join the channel's other two male robot journalists, Qiu Hao and Xin Xiaohao. Both were presented in November 2018, during the World Internet Conference, held in the city of Wuzhen. Xin Xiaohao has even been updated recently and has become more modern than his colleagues, being able to present news while standing and gesturing with his hands and arms.

It is really hard to believe that he is not a real human:

Prior to Xin Xiaomeng, Xinhua had already bet on a female reporter named Jia Jia, but she was discontinued after having problems with her software.

The world will no longer be as before

Is the profession of newscaster present in the days? If it depends on China, it seems so! The country has for years been investing heavily in artificial intelligence research involving journalist robots, mastering facial recognition technology with the largest number of surveillance cameras in operation on the planet.

According to Chinese President Xi Jinping, by 2030 it will become the world's largest AI power. The race to stay ahead of the US will eventually accelerate the deployment of this technology in all spheres of human life, making us dependent on it; but even more dependent will be non-innovation-dominated nations, which should import it from the Chinese.

China has AI-controlled robot as news anchor via TecMundo