China’s latest tech export: an Arabic-speaking, AI-powered news anchor from Sogou
Sogou, operator of China’s second largest online search engine, will develop the world’s first Arabic-speaking, artificial intelligence-based news presenter under a deal with the state-owned broadcaster in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as demand for Chinese hi-tech expertise grows in the countries covered by Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative.
The lifelike AI virtual anchor will help Abu Dhabi Media (ADM) provide news broadcasts more efficiently, in a range of engaging formats and potentially, on a round-the-clock basis every day, according to a statement by Sogou on Sunday after signing the agreement with the broadcaster.
“The use of artificial intelligence and technological tools in the media sector will result in a qualitative leap forward within the media landscape in the UAE and the wider region,” said Omar Sultan Al Olama, the country’s minister of AI, in the statement.
He said use of such advanced technology will not only enrich media content, but also provide “opportunities for young professionals to build new skill sets suited to future media channels”.
The deal between Sogou and ADM comes several months after the New York-listed search engine operator and the state-owned Xinhua News Agency introduced in November last year so-called “composite anchors”, which combine the images and voices of human anchors with AI technology.
Those AI anchors are available throughout Xinhua’s internet and mobile platforms, such as its official Chinese and English apps, WeChat public account and online television webpage.
Sogou’s AI anchor marks the latest Chinese hi-tech export to make inroads in the Belt and Road countries. Other advances developed by Chinese firms that have sparked demand range from face-scanning surveillance cameras, smart city management and autonomous driving systems.
China has been ramping up to become a global leader in AI by 2030, and now has an edge in terms of academic papers and patents as well as cross-border and global AI funding.
The world’s second largest economy is already home to six of the 11 biggest AI start-ups.
The deal with ADM represented the first time Sogou’s AI news anchor technology is being adopted by an international media organisation, according to Wang Yanfeng, general manager of the Chinese firm’s Voice Interaction Technology Centre, in the statement.
That AI news anchor technology incorporates the latest advances in the AI fields of speech synthesis, image detection and deep learning, the company said. Textual input can be transformed into corresponding lip movements, providing users with a highly customisable interactive experience, it said.
“We look forward to sharing our AI news anchor technology with an increasingly global audience,” Wang said.
On the sidelines of the second Belt and Road Forum that convened in Beijing over the weekend, the focus was spread to other Chinese hi-tech companies. Delegations from various countries expressed interest in joint research and development with these Chinese firms.
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad led a delegation that visited SenseTime’s Beijing offices in Beijing on Friday. The the world’s most valuable AI start-up signed a deal with G3 Global and China Harbour Engineering Co to establish an AI park in Malaysia.
SenseTime, which was founded in Hong Kong in 2014, has an estimated valuation of about US$4.5 billion, according to an annual ranking by venture capital database CB Insights.
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