Kuwait News unveils AI-generated news presenter ‘Fedha’
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Raven Ruma
- . April 11, 2023
- . Update: April 12, 2023 10:48 pm
‘Fedha’, a virtual news presenter generated using artificial intelligence, recently appeared on the Twitter account of the Kuwait News website as an image of a woman, asking netizens in classical Arabic “What kind of news do you prefer? Let’s hear your opinions.”
She was seen wearing a white T-shirt and a black jacket, with her light-coloured hair uncovered. Kuwait Times – which merged with Kuwait News last year – was established in 1961 as the first English-language daily in the Gulf region.
Deputy editor-in-chief of the publication and website Abdullah Boftain said Fedha is expected to adopt the Kuwaiti accent and read online bulletins in the future. He underscored that the move aims to test AI’s potential of creating “innovative content”.
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‘Fedha’ refers to silver, the metal, and is a popular, old Kuwaiti name. As robots are often imagined to be silver and metallic in colour, thus the name Fedha, Boftain added. The presenter flaunts light-coloured eyes and blonde hair, reflecting the country’s diverse population of Kuwaitis and expats, he further mentioned.
Although the rapid rise of AI globally could introduce certain benefits, such as in healthcare and the absolute removal of mundane tasks, the growing fear concerning AI’s potential to threaten certain jobs and even artistic integrity shouldn’t be undermined.
