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Nov. 9 (UPI) -- News anchors in China may never need to take coffee breaks or rest between programs, if state media plans for artificial intelligence succeed in replacing human news presenters. State-owned Xinhua news agency said Friday the network has worked with search engine Sogou to develop the world's first AI news presenter.
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The development was made public at the Fifth World Internet Conference in China's Zhejiang Province.
Xinhua said it has launched the "AI announcer" on its official accounts on different social platforms, including WeChat. The AI presents news in English and Chinese.
Chinese footage of the technology shows real-life anchorman Qiu Hao in a suit, blinking and raising his eyebrows while reading statements being fed into the machine.
"Not only can I accompany you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. I can be endlessly copied and present at different scenes to bring you the news," the AI says.
An English-speaking version said the "development of the media industry calls for continuous innovation and deep integration with the international advanced technologies...I look forward to bringing you brand new news experiences."
The news agency said machine learning has enabled the technology to simulate voice and facial movements, as well as the gestures of humans, according to The Guardian.
Xinhua also said while a human news presenter can work for only eight hours a day, an AI can work for 24 hours without tiring.
Chinese companies in online learning are exploring possibilities in AI
Chinese state paper People's Daily reported Xueersi Online School has released services for AI language teachers, including English-language "one-on-one" instructors.
The AI instructors are not always human in form -- a "monkey" teacher is an option available for students.
The animal is the company's mascot, according to the report.
