Kuwaiti Media Outlet Launches AI Newscaster

A Kuwaiti media outlet has unveiled an artificial intelligence-generated virtual newscaster that will read online bulletins.

On Saturday, the Kuwait News Twitter account posted a clip of a woman with her hair uncovered and donning a black jacket and white T-shirt, who introduced herself as “Fedha”.

“I’m Fedha, the first presenter in Kuwait who works with artificial intelligence at Kuwait News. What kind of news do you prefer? Let’s hear your opinions,” she said in Arabic.

Kuwait News’ deputy editor-in-chief, Abdullah Boftain, described it as a test of AI’s ability to provide “new and innovative content”

Fedha could speak in a Kuwaiti accent in the future and present news updates on the site’s 1.2 million-follower Twitter account, he said.

“Fedha is a popular, old Kuwaiti name that refers to silver … We always imagine robots to be silver and metallic in color, so we combined the two,” Boftain said.

The 13-second video clip sparked an avalanche of responses on social media, including from journalists.

The rapid global expansion of AI has increased the promise of benefits in fields such as health care, as well as fears regarding its potential to disseminate disinformation, as well as the threat to jobs and artistic integrity.