China Unveils 'World's First' A.I. News Anchor

A TV anchor has joined a Chinese news agency, but with a twist: he isn't human. China's state-run Xinhua News Agency has launched an artificial intelligence (AI) anchor, a move it claims to be a world first.

Xinhua's first English #AI anchor makes debut at the World Internet Conference that opens in Wuzhen, China Wednesday pic.twitter.com/HOkWnnfHdW

— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) November 7, 2018

"English AI Anchor" debuted Thursday at the World Internet Conference in the country's eastern Zhejiang Province.

Modeled on the agency's Zhang Zhao presenter, the new anchor learns from live videos and is able to work 24 hours a day, reporting via social media and on the Xinhua website. "'He' learns from live broadcasting videos by himself and can read texts as naturally as a professional news anchor," the company said in an online statement.