March 27, 2019

Artificial Intelligence powered robot stuns audience at 18th Arab Media Forum

A robot powered by artificial intelligence (AI) took to the stage on the first day of the 18th Arab Media Forum to showcase what AI-driven journalism will look like in the next few years.

The region’s first robot journalist, which goes by the name A20-50, made its first appearance at the Forum in a session titled ‘Future News Anchors’, where it flaunted its abilities to report ‘tirelessly’ all day every day and be programmed to do any ask.

“I’m the fourth generation of robots,” A20-50 by Etisalat, told the audience as it imitated natural human body movements, by moving its arms and eyes around. “Robots like me are beneficial to humanity and won’t threaten them, because humans would still have to programme me.” The robot was acting as the digital version of MBC's sports anchor Mustafa Agha, who spoke through the robot about the use of AI in news anchoring and its future development.

The robot said that despite all of its ‘great’ abilities, it cannot operate without internet or electricity, and that it needs a wired connection to the internet due to the large volume of data it deals with. “The faster the internet, the more responsive and astonishing I can be.” It then said that robots are connected to 5G technologies, and praised the role of Etisalat in this sector.

Speaking through the robot, Agha pointed out the important tasks speaking robots can take up in several areas. “Robots can be very useful in cultural, educational and even entertainment programmes. They can work in airports, libraries and many different places.” However, he also warned that they can replace TV presenters in the future.

A recent study published by The Sun indicated that 1.5 million people could lose their jobs to robots in the future, he added. “Amazon, for example, has around 50,000 robots, and there are robots that are able to carry out various functions, such as customer service jobs and even picking up fruits from trees,” he said.

Agha referred to Estonia, a country in northern Europe, which has just announced that it would be building the first robot judge in history to help clear the high volume of small claims disputes in courts. The robot, he said, can be programmed with legal data and previous jurisprudence and appeals can be made on its rulings to a human judge.

The robot highlighted that there are other robots like him operating in the field of media, including Jiang Lailai, a stunning humanoid female robot also powered by AI, who hosts various shows with her human co-hosts. Her first television appearance on January 6, 2019, attracted one billion viewers, he said.

Towards the end of the session and in front of a packed audience, the robot showed the many different movements it can perform with its eyes and hands, including its ability to show different emotions such as anger, sadness and excitement.

When Agha later appeared on stage, he stressed the need for media organisations to keep up with developments in the industry and continue to enhance the way they present their content.

Held under the theme ‘Arab Media: From Now to the Future’, the region’s leading annual event for the media industry is bringing together more than 3,000 prominent regional and international media leaders, scholars, writers and experts, to share their views on the current state of the Arab media and the shifts that are shaping the future of the industry.