It is theorized that artificial intelligence may wipe out the need for jobs led by human beings – will television be the next industry at risk?
QYOU Media., a company operating in the United States and India, announced last month that its flagship Hindi language channel Q TV will be launching a new television series driven by AI.
The show will feature an AI-generated anchor named ‘Viral Bhabhi’ who, according to a company statement, will provide “witty one-liners and anecdotes” that accompany the viral videos played on the show which are sourced from social platforms such as comedy, pranks, gags, falls and fails videos.
While the practice of using AI anchors has been seen in Asia since 2018, the effort to introduce AI generated anchors and TV hosts marks an unprecedented era for media workers in the U.S.
TV hosting and anchor jobs are typically quite competitive to get into. Beyond obtaining a degree in media as a prerequisite, before people become anchors and TV hosts, the role often requires vocal training, a rolodex of previous experience and the ability to work hours beyond the typical 9-5 range.
The introduction of computer generated hosts may serve as a threat to aspiring anchors as the AI hosts likely will not require the same flexibility a human host would.
For example, anchors have to often commute to a TV studio and get camera ready on their own before beginning their shift. AI anchors however, will be ready to go at the click of a button.
This poses an interesting paradox for the media industry. AI anchors could save time, money and effort from newsrooms and their staff. However, it poses a challenge of human connection.
Will U.S. viewers and viewers worldwide respond well to a computer generated human relaying news updates?
Keeping it gee, AI anchors may be appealing for shows that do not deliver sensitive information/news updates, but I doubt that the American market will easily adapt to it as a norm.
Miranda Perez (she/her/hers) is a Jersey City, NJ-based journalist who covers the tech industry. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram: @mimithegee.
Edited by NaTyshca Pickett