AI-generated news presenter appears in Kuwaiti media

AI-generated news presenter appears in Kuwaiti media

Fedha appeared on the Twitter account of the Kuwait News website on Saturday as an image of a woman

A journalist watches an introductory video by the 'artificial intelligence' anchor Fedha on the twitter account of Kuwait News service. — AFP

By AFP Published: Mon 10 Apr 2023, 9:49 PM

A Kuwaiti media outlet has unveiled a virtual news presenter generated using artificial intelligence, with plans for it to read online bulletins.

"Fedha" appeared on the Twitter account of the Kuwait News website on Saturday as an image of a woman, her light-coloured hair uncovered, wearing a black jacket and white T-shirt.

"I'm Fedha, the first presenter in Kuwait who works with artificial intelligence at Kuwait News. What kind of news do you prefer? Let's hear your opinions," she said in classical Arabic.

The site is affiliated with the Kuwait Times, founded in 1961 as the Gulf region's first English-language daily.

Abdullah Boftain, deputy editor in chief for both outlets, said the move is a test of AI's potential to offer "new and innovative content".

In future Fedha could adopt the Kuwaiti accent and present news bulletins on the site's Twitter account, which has 1.2 million followers, he said.

"Fedha is a popular, old Kuwaiti name that refers to