Channel 4 aired a special broadcast hosted entirely by an AI-generated news anchor in a surprise turn of events.
“Will AI Take My Job?” investigated how artificial intelligence has changed the way people operate in the workplace, often pitting humans against machine learning. The hour-long program came with a twist: its host was AI-generated.
The anchor, who narrated and reported in several locations throughout the broadcast was entirely artificial. At the end of the program, she revealed that, for some, AI may take their jobs before revealing she was one of them.
“AI is going to touch everybody’s lives in the next few years. And for some, it will take their jobs,” she said. “Call center workers? Customer service agents? Maybe even TV presenters like me. Because I’m not real. In a British TV first, I’m an AI presenter. Some of you might have guessed: I don’t exist, I wasn’t on location reporting this story. My image and voice were generated using AI.”
The special was part of the “Dispatches” documentary program, which Channel 4 says is now the first British television show to feature an AI presenter. The anchor was produced by AI fashion brand Seraphinne Vallora for Kalel Productions. Channel 4 prompted the platform to create a realistic on-camera performance from the bot anchor.
Louisa Compton, head of news and current affairs at Channel 4, said that the network does not plan to “make a habit” of AI presenters, but wanted to illustrate AI’s potential.
“Our focus in news and current affairs is on premium, fact checked, duly impartial and trusted journalism – something AI is not capable of doing,” she said. “But this stunt does serve as a useful reminder of just how disruptive AI has the potential to be — and how easy it is to hoodwink audiences with content they have no way of verifying.”
Viewers found the “anchor”‘s narration convincing, but some noticed blurring around her mouth. Several users guessed that she might have been AI-generated on X before the reveal.
This stunt proves even more topical as the industry is abuzz about Tilly Norwood, an AI “actress” who was created by a British company. Its existence and rumors that the bot had been pitched to agencies sparked backlash from actors and Hollywood unions.
