AI Anchors Target News Broadcasting Version of TikTok: How Will 'Next-Generation Media Professionals' Respond to the Challenges of the AI Era
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Recently, a demo video of AI news reporting released by the American media startup Channel 1 on social media has once again sparked heated discussions in the news industry. Unlike previous AI anchors' one-to-many reporting model, Channel 1 plans to let users choose which news reports to watch, aiming to become the TikTok of news channels and truly transform 'viewers' into 'users.'
The emergence of generative AI is rapidly changing the way news media operates, posing significant challenges to media professionals such as editors and journalists. A new study by strategic media company Green Target, titled Next-Generation Journalists: Tackling Misinformation, AI, and the Future of Journalism, surveyed 100 journalism students and young reporters, revealing the expectations, challenges, and opportunities that next-generation media professionals face regarding AI.
In this issue, we share the latest overseas trends and research insights about the next generation of media professionals.
Reportedly, Channel 1 was founded in 2023 by producer and director Scott Zabielski and tech entrepreneur Adam Mosam. It is designed for global distribution, with video output adapting to viewers' preferences and language requirements. It is positioned as "providing users with a new, more personalized way to watch the news. Introducing a personalized global news network powered by generative AI."
Channel 1 differs significantly from traditional news channels: traditional news operates by providing standardized broadcasts to viewers, where everyone in the world receives the same one or two hours of content. However, Channel 1 does not intend to do this. They want consumers to choose which news reports to watch themselves. In other words, they aim to be the TikTok of news channels.
Their AI news program is expected to launch in February 2024 on streaming platforms like X, as well as on FAST and other traditional platforms. Currently, they have released their first 22-minute demo episode on their official website and X platform.
It can be seen that unlike previous AI digital news anchors, Channel 1's demo showcases anchors with dynamic performances and voices so realistic that they almost achieve "deceptive authenticity" in terms of user experience.
Channel 1 collects human reports from "trusted sources" worldwide and then repackages them into fully narrated, hosted, and edited news stories. Co-founder Mosam stated, "If we can generate 500 stories daily and select the right 9 or 10 for you, we can better inform you within your allocated time by showing content you're looking for." Over time, the application will learn viewers' preferences and habits. "If broadcasting financial news, we might cover stocks you hold or areas of interest. For sports news, it could focus on your favorite team."
In addition to creating video clips and images to accompany reports, artificial intelligence can be used to translate witness accounts into any language, maintaining the original speaker's voice characteristics and adapting lip movements and facial expressions.
Channel 1 also provides its own analytical insights, having developed a unique new method for measuring sentiment, equipped with near real-time data reading and analysis capabilities. For example, Channel 1 can analyze 30,000 tweets about the Cybertruck on platform X, then offer its perspective on this all-electric pickup based on the emojis used by users.
The news of Channel 1's upcoming broadcast has shocked journalists across the United States. They are concerned that AI news anchors could make fake news more rampant and pose a threat to human broadcasters. In response, founder Zabielski stated in an interview that the system is designed to replace anchors who merely read from teleprompters, not actual journalists. It provides a way for off-camera journalists to showcase their work, including creating virtual avatars for them to present their stories on screen.
In other words, Channel 1 offers hyper-realistic dynamic video digital avatars for news anchors and reporters while using authentic content, freeing these top media talents from the time-consuming task of programmed broadcasting.
If previous AI digital humans still showed obvious mechanical traces that made the industry take a wait-and-see attitude, then with the widespread adoption of applications like Channel 1, media professionals looking to build personal brands on video platforms could be online 24/7, and news teams with sufficient material support could all realize personalized news channels.
In July this year, news about "Google developing an AI journalist assistant called Genesis" caused a stir in the media circle.
During the testing phase, the system has been made available to major news organizations including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. It is reported to receive the latest news in real-time and automatically generate news articles.
Although media giants such as the Associated Press, Bloomberg, and The New York Times have already begun exploring the application of AI in financial reports and data journalism, the industry consensus has been that "automated journalism" is only suitable for structured news types. For narrative news reporting, AI still struggles to replace human journalists.
Major AI model providers have introduced AI news assistants that take semantic generation a step further, capable of producing general event reports based on the six essential elements of news (5W+1H). For instance, after receiving current affairs information, these tools can automatically generate articles using AI technology, emphasizing speed, accuracy, and impact. In headline creation, Genesis can suggest multiple titles for journalists and explore different writing styles, thereby continuously enhancing the efficiency of news professionals.
In the future, the role of editors in reviewing content will become even more crucial, allowing journalists to focus their efforts on producing high-quality in-depth reports.
AI enhances efficiency for media professionals while simultaneously introducing potential risks of AI misuse. Over a month ago, Microsoft's Microsoft Start news aggregator caused public outrage due to an automatically generated poll.
Microsoft's news aggregation service placed an automated poll next to The Guardian's report about the death of 21-year-old water polo coach Lilie James, who was found dead with severe head injuries at a school in Sydney.
This AI-created poll asked: 'What do you think was the cause behind this woman's death?' Readers were then required to choose from three options: murder, accident, or suicide.
Readers expressed outrage at the poll, which was subsequently removed. As of Tuesday morning, highly critical reader comments about the deleted survey remained online, with one reader writing: 'This must be the most pathetic and disgusting poll I've ever seen.'
The Guardian CEO Anna Bateson outlined her concerns about AI-generated polls in a letter to Microsoft President Brad Smith. She stated that this incident could cause distress to James' family and has resulted in "significant reputational damage" to The Guardian and the author who wrote the report.
Journalists can indeed improve the efficiency of news reporting-related work if they use AI correctly. A new study by strategic communications firm Greentarget, titled The Next Generation of Journalists: Addressing Misinformation, AI, and the Future of Journalism, surveyed 100 journalism students and young reporters. The study found that future journalists are divided in their views on AI and how it will impact the industry.
Many next-generation journalists have begun utilizing AI platforms to support their reporting. Over half of respondents (52%) use AI tools for translation, 43% employ AI for writing, 39% for research, and 21% report using AI editing tools. Some indicate using AI to enhance productivity or detect and combat misinformation, including data analysis, photo processing, and video editing.
The ongoing advancement of AI applications in journalism places media professionals at the forefront of pressing ethical questions. The next generation of journalists must fully understand AI's potential pitfalls, risks, and significance. For instance, beyond misinformation, novice reporters may lose the training benefits of hands-on work by relying on AI-generated content.
"You'll find many suggestions that AI can provide a good first draft," Amy Merrick, Senior Professional Lecturer at DePaul University's College of Communication and former Wall Street Journal reporter, told us. "But the act of writing refines your thinking. So if you skip this part of the work, the results will inevitably be more superficial, and you'll have fewer original insights."
Given the differences between how journalists typically work and how generative AI operates, this education is crucial. For instance, fundamental journalism skills—on-the-ground reporting, expert interviews, and synthesizing information—require human interaction, solving complex problems, and sound judgment. Journalists rely on their networks of sources, PR contacts, and trusted experts to verify and gather information, producing useful and timely reports.
On the other hand, generative artificial intelligence platforms utilize machine learning algorithms and are trained on vast datasets, enabling them to simulate new content based on previous inputs in response to prompts. While this makes them a powerful tool for summarization and interpretation—and the technology continues to evolve—whether these platforms can further obtain accurate, attributable information to address breaking news or investigative journalism remains to be proven.
While AI can be a useful tool for journalists, it must be used cautiously and with proper training to ensure the next generation of journalists possesses the necessary skills and tools to work synergistically with new technologies, while avoiding public backlash due to potential errors caused by technological use.
The German Journalists Association (DJV) emphasizes that the use of artificial intelligence must become a key component of journalist training. They call on media companies to offer relevant training, including topics like AI misuse. Recently, The Financial Times announced it would provide 'masterclasses' for journalists on how to use generative AI to uncover news stories.
In May this year, The Financial Times published an open letter in which editor Roula Khalaf stated that the newspaper's journalism in the new AI era would continue to be reported and written by the best in their fields, committed to accurately and fairly portraying and analyzing the world as it is. The publication also plans to explore AI innovations to assist journalists with tasks such as data mining, text and image analysis, and translation.
As pointed out by Athan Stephanopoulos, Chief Digital Officer of CNN: "Within 5 years, 90% of content on the internet will contain some form of AI elements. However, trustworthy news sources should also have the opportunity to stand out."