Heading the initiative is channel COO Manikanda Boopathi, a media professional with over 25 years of experience across print, TV and digital news.
He was exploring the possibility of AI-based video for the education industry, which led him to introduce Tamil Nadu’s first AI news anchor.
Medianews4u.com caught up with Boopathi, who has pioneered digital transformation in print media houses by launching smart paper, video live streaming, mobile journalism etc. to discuss the trend of AI-enabled news ecosystems.
Excerpts:
What is the strategy behind creating the first Tamil AI news reader Priya and how does it differ from a handful of AI news readers launched by various broadcasters recently?
Right now, the mainstream news channels of Tamil industry have not explored AI significantly. As an innovative thinker, we at Vendhar TV are working to seize the first mover advantage of deploying AI. Television news workflow is always changing and adapting to new technologies.
SNG (Satellite News Gathering) trucks were used for live news gathering, Now we use bonding devices. Virtual graphics system has brought explanatory videos where video generation is not possible .The Odisha train accident has been recreated which is a perfect example of virtual graphics. In the early days news readers used manuscripts, which were replaced by teleprompters. We are now at an age where news readers can also be replaced with AI tech.
Generally, any new technology which comes to the television tech market is not cost effective. But AI is cost effective and efficient in a few ways which helps easy video content generation. The GenX, GenY, millennial audience are glued to video and so AI Priya can easily reach out and grab their attention.
Even though AI for television news anchoring is at the early stages, we have created Priya in Tamil with a voice which will make her look more or less human. The lip sync in Tamil is also close to real and her facial expressions are also neutral when she presents the news. AI Priya’s hand gestures, body language, facial expressions will be close to real. Draped in multiple South Indian traditional sarees for Tamil news, Priya exemplifies beauty with brains.
AI tech is creating huge attention across the world and it’s the right time to explore AI news anchors to reach the global Tamil diaspora.
How are you going to leverage AI Priya and how are you going to market it?
We will be using AI Priya to present special news bulletins for satellite and to the diversified digital audience. The humans are amazed with AI as it is able to perform tasks like them. Our AI anchor will start performing tasks such as interviewing, questioning reporters, bringing more interactivity and presenting various forms of content.
We are confident that AI Priya will soon gain the attention of brands too. We are not a 24×7 news platform and that is another advantage for us, using AI for creating content on cinema, education, sports, weather, hyperlocal news etc. Beyond this, at some point of time we will be able to create AI influencers for brands to reach out to their audience via our network. Our existing digital channels have more than three million subscriptions, which will be leveraged to our advantage.
Do you think the TN audience are mature enough to accept a AI News anchor?
TN is generally in the forefront of accepting new technologies. The Indian audience have already started accepting AI anchors from the North and few AI anchors are presenting news in various genres since the beginning of this year. I would say AI will definitely attract the metro audience. But presenting hyperlocal news will connect the tier 2 and tier 3 audience too. South Indian cinema, particularly the Tamil film industry, has introduced many new technologies in the past and audiences have embraced it quickly. We expect the same trend for AI news anchors in the television industry.
Do you foresee network news rooms fully occupied by AI news anchors? To what extent can AI replace the human anchors in?
We are at the age of robust video content generation for audiences. So the news production can be faster with AI news anchors. Assume the usage, set up time for cameras, lights and backdrops and the elimination of the same is not only resulting in reduced operational costs but helping deliver the content faster.
Initially AI news anchors will reduce the dependency of the human anchor in critical situations and allow preparing multiple content genres with multiple AI anchors simultaneously. I don’t see a scenario of AI news anchors fully occupying newsrooms as it is in its evolution stage, but I am sure that news rooms cannot avoid AI anchors in the near future.
How the AI tech works, will it be a cheaper option when compared with human anchors?
It’s a huge misunderstanding generally that AI tech will replace humans with reference to the TV industry. The AI tech is definitely cost effective for a broadcaster. The broadcaster generally invests in huge Infra such as studios, lighting, camera gears, switching and other recording devices. These are being considerably eliminated by AI tech. The AI tech is done using voice and video cloning and operates in a cloud environment which eliminates the traditional infra and maintenance cost for a broadcaster. AI tech will reduce 25 to 30 percent cost for broadcasters.
Once the AI features are well experimented in the news room, I foresee a scenario where the AI news anchors are deployed in real time in live news too.
What are the special features that AI tech can offer in terms of viewing experience?
AI news anchors right now present the human generated content like a human anchor.
So it will not reduce the current viewing experience. The AI anchor will excite the audience by presenting one news in multiple languages.
Representing the South culture, our AI News anchor Priya will be draped in sarees and she will appear in multi coloured sarees. AI anchors can be easily integrated with VR technologies in the near future, and it will enhance the viewing experience of the audience.
AI news presentation will be customised to individual requirement via digital media such as websites delivering video content tailored to a particular person’s interest. AI news anchors fed with data journalism and presenting news and feature stories during events such as elections will excite the audience in future.
The future of AI will deliver enhanced viewing pleasure for the user to choose their own anchor.
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