KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait News, a prominent media outlet in Kuwait, has introduced the world to its latest news presenter – Fedha, the first AI-based broadcaster in the country.
The announcement was made over the weekend through a video posted on Twitter, where the virtual newsreader was seen wearing a black blazer and a white T-shirt.
أول مذيعة في #الكويت تعمل بالذكاء الاصطناعي
• #فضة.. مذيعة #كويت_نيوز الافتراضية
• ما هي نوعية الأخبار التي تفضلونها بتقديم #فضة زميلتنا الجديدة؟ .. شاركونا آراءكم pic.twitter.com/VlVjasSdpb
— كويت نيوز (@KuwaitNews) April 8, 2023
“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,” Fedha said in Arabic in the launch video.
Abdullah Boftain, the deputy editor-in-chief of both Kuwait News and its English-language affiliate, Kuwait Times, confirmed that Fedha is a test of AI’s potential to offer “new and innovative content”. He added that Fedha, who spoke in classical Arabic in the launch video, could use a Kuwaiti accent and present news bulletins on Twitter in the future.
Fedha is expected to read bulletins via the outlet’s Twitter account. Boftain explained that the name “Fedha” was chosen because it is a popular, old Kuwaiti name that refers to silver, the metal, and the name was combined with the concept of robots being silver and metallic in color.
It is pertinent to mention here that Kuwait isn’t the first country to test out an AI-based newsreader. China’s state news agency Xinhua launched the world’s first computerized anchor in 2018.
It’s worth noting that around 70% of Kuwait’s population is made up of expatriates, with the largest communities coming from Egypt and India. Government estimates from 2018 suggest that 58% of the country is Arab, including non-Kuwaiti residents.
