Everyone seems to be talking about AI – artificial intelligence – these days and fearing its impact in the future.
It is a big issue in the strikes that have shut down production in Hollywood.
So, it is no wonder that some alert viewers were concerned when they recently noticed a bug at the top of the screen during the 12:30 p.m. weekday newscast on WKBW-TV (Channel 7) with the words “AI-generated voice” used during voiceovers of some national stories.
I am told the AI testing by WKBW’s owner, E.W. Scripps Co., ended this week and whether the program should be resumed is being evaluated. The evaluation also will determine what any permanent policy will be.
But inquiring minds want to know: What is it all about? And is it a sign about the future of local news?
Sean McLaughlin, senior vice president of local media for Scripps, offered this explanation via a statement:
“Scripps has been testing AI-generated voiceovers in roughly 40 markets since January. It’s primarily – but not exclusively – used in mornings with national overnight headlines. We absolutely do not use AI for journalism, not for reporting, nor writing.
“We are exploring emerging technology in a limited capacity to find the most efficient ways to allow our teams to focus on reporting local news in their communities. When we do use AI for voice overs, we are transparent with our viewers with a bug on the top left of the screen that lets them know the voice – which is a real person’s voice – is AI generated.”
“We have had zero feedback from viewers in any market. This is not displacing any employees and is not related to any organizational changes.”
I was a little confused by being told it is a real person’s voice. It was explained to me that the AI-generated voice is an employee’s synthesized voice, similar to Apple’s Personal Voice feature that artificially generates a voice similar to that of a real person. Then an application is…
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