China's new AI TV news anchor. Can you tell the difference? (Video)
 

Is this the future of porn?


First AI newsreader looks UNCANNILY like real deal

The AI’s looks are closely modelled on a real news anchor, and its lips are matched to frame each word that is programmed to come out of its mouth.

The agency jokes that he works 24/7 without taking any overtime.

Xinhua News claims the presenter can “read texts as naturally as a professional news anchor”.

In an introductory video, the software says: ”I will work tirelessly to keep you informed as texts will be typed into my system uninterrupted.

"I look forward to bringing you the brand new news experiences."

Sogou, a major Chinese search engine, assisted with development.

There is both an English and Chinese-speaking version with different faces.

An artificial intelligence (AI) system has been used to synthesise the presenters' voices, lip movements and expressions. They are based on those of real Xinhua presenters.

Rather than creating a whole 3D model, the agency has crafted a photorealistic version of the presenters and simply animated their facial features.

Michael Wooldridge, a Professor at the University of Oxford, said the result is mixed.

He explained: “It's quite difficult to watch for more than a few minutes. It's very flat, very single-paced, it's not got rhythm, pace or emphasis.

"If you're just looking at animation you've completely lost that connection to an anchor.”

Noel Sharkey, a robotics professor at the University of Sheffield, was slightly more impressed.

He said it was a “good first effort.

“We will see it improve over time.

“The problem is that it could be very dull.”

It looks good, but its still not out of the uncanny valley yet. No doubt it will be perfected very soon.

Anyone know if the AI engine is open source?

Absolutely. Camgirls who said "fuck you photo guy" and now make money cutting out the middle man, are going to be out of a fucking job all together. :1orglaugh

I can imagine interactive AI camshows everywhere... really really soon. I could have sworn there was someone on chaturbate doing just that. You can better believe there is someone out there working on it now.

And the world keeps turning.

It's about time that robots start doing all the work . . .

looks good.

Yes the Chaturbate "AI" was using Tensorflow I believe.

I can totally see AI interpreting requests in a cam chat for the AI cam model to execute and another AI component to negotiate price :D

How is reading the news from teleprompter considered "AI" ? Actually, it's a glorified text to speech program..and the mouth movement looks like shit. Better CG was done in the 1990's.


Leave it to China to pass off this shit like some great technological leap.

:1orglaugh:1orglaugh:thumbsup

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z52uxxyEy0E

Consider how much it could streamline operations in the long run:

- No salary for the presenter
- No makeup, assistants etc
- No staff needed on the floor, eg camera operators
- No studio required

Give it a few more years and we'll have AI partly or fully assembling the 20 seconds of footage that shows as the AI newsreader recites a brief news item.

Great point! :1orglaugh:thumbsup

Very nice open source motion/image/gesture capture

It requires ML component layers for language

What in the actual........??