TV One Introduces AI Presenters: A Shift in Indonesian Journalism
With plans to enhance its AI presenters’ capabilities, including the introduction of live dialogue features, the future of journalism in Indonesia is poised for a paradigm shift.
TV One, a prominent broadcasting company in Indonesia has taken a bold step towards revolutionising the way news is delivered and consumed by introducing Artificial Intelligence (AI) presenters.
The innovative initiative was launched last year with a focus on revolutionising the way news is delivered and consumed, bridging the gap between traditional broadcasting and cutting-edge technology. Apni Jaya Putra and Merdi Sofansyah spearheaded the initiative as the duo recognised the need to adapt to evolving consumer preferences.
“We saw a decline in people watching television and so we realised that we need to be more innovative in delivering news, especially to the Gen Z,” Mr Merdi said..
With the support of TV One’s chief executive officer, the idea of creating AI presenters was conceived, setting the stage for a transformative journey in Indonesian journalism.
Despite being a small newsroom comprising three individuals, the team took on the challenge of developing AI presenters from scratch. Drawing upon their backgrounds in TV journalism, they navigated through every stage of production, from conceptualisation to distribution and leveraging external AI technologies to augment their capabilities.
“Our team is only three people. But we did everything from A to Z in the production,” explained Mr Merdi, TV One AI Developer. By harnessing the rising interest in AI technology, TV One seeks to engage the younger viewers and keep them informed about current events in Indonesia and globally.
Reactions
Despite the perks that come with utilising AI presenters, such as the ability to streamline operations and report swiftly on breaking news, most of TV One’s human anchors felt worried that the AI presenters would replace them.
“We haven’t implemented AI fully. We are being careful with this,” Mr Merdi said.
“We assured the team that humans are still very important in the process.
“Right now, our AI presenters can only read the scripts that are prepared by the AI news team.
“Our human anchors still need to record their voices while reading these scripts.
“So now they are happy because they are working closely with us.” As TV One navigates this new frontier, plans are underway to enhance AI presenter functionality, paving the way for direct interactions with human guests during live interviews.
TV One AI posts its content on Instagram, YouTube and the daily midday news programme.
According to Ms Dini Yudi, the third member of the TV One AI team, the viewers showed mixed reactions, with some expressing skepticism while others were intrigued by the novel approach to news delivery.
“At first, our viewers thought it (AI presenters) was a robot because they didn’t know what is artificial intelligence,” Ms Yudi said.
“So we had to translate the term to Bahasa Indonesia so that they can understand.
“We have been constantly educating our viewers about AI. We put a disclaimer in the introduction of all our content to indicate that the presenter is not human but AI. Now that everyone is educated about it, they don’t see it as a threat anymore.”
As TV One continues to push the boundaries of journalism with AI integration, the industry watches with anticipation, eager to witness the transformative impact of this pioneering endeavor.
“We’ve received some funny messages from our viewers who assume that our AI presenters are real. “Some of our viewers have been asking if the particular AI presenter is single,” she added.
As the first in the country to introduce AI presenters in Indonesia, TV One has set a precedent for the future of broadcasting in the region.
TV One AI has more than 14,000 followers on Instagram and 7000 subscribers on Youtube.
Challenges
The road to implementing AI in journalism hasn’t been without its challenges.
The TV One AI team had to grapple with technological limitations and the need for continuous refinement to ensure accuracy and reliability in its content delivery.
“The tools we use are progressing really quickly,” Ms Yudi said.
“At first when we started this, the AI presenter could only read our script. But now the AI presenter can move its hands.”
With the help of AI technology, TV One AI can translate content from 28 different languages into Bahasa Indonesia.
One of the key concerns revolved around potential misinformation or mistranslation by the AI tools.
Mitigating risks and verifying
To mitigate this risk, rigorous verification processes were put in place, underscoring the team’s commitment to upholding journalistic integrity.
“We need to be careful and check it again and again as our principle of journalism,” Mr Merdi said.
“We verify with the source of the video and ensure that the AI translation is correct.”
Despite these hurdles, TV One remains steadfast in its commitment to innovation.
With plans to enhance its AI presenters’ capabilities, including the introduction of live dialogue features, the future of journalism in Indonesia is poised for a paradigm shift.