FastStream Interactive will be introducing the first AI-generated Virtual TV presenters as hosts on the music channel ROXi.
The AI-generated presenters will introduce music videos, musicians, and songs, along with giving fun facts and trivia between songs. The hosts will be used initially on US Broadcast TV and on Sky in the UK and Ireland.
“ROXi’s innovative new virtual TV presenters bring a new level of entertainment to interactive TV, delivering far more engaging viewer experiences than would be possible if we were using normal TV production facilities and actors,” said Rob Lewis, CEO of FastStream Interactive. “With AI we can have ROXi presenters introducing Beyoncé from a yacht moored off her favourite Caribbean Island without having to hire and fly in a production team or charter the yacht.”
The news follows stories circulating online about a new “virtual actress” called Tilly Norwood. The idea of using AI-generated talent has gotten the attention of talent agencies, but has also drawn criticism from actual actors and others in creative fields. SAG-AFTRA released a statement noting that “Tilly Norwood is not an actor, it’s a character generated by a computer program that was trained on the work of countless professional performers — without permission or compensation.”
“We understand why some actors and presenters are worried about AI,” FastStream’s Lewis said, in response to the stories about the AI actress. “We believe this technology has the power to transform TV entertainment, making it far more interactive, contextually relevant, and entertaining, especially for younger consumers. Ultimately, we need to embrace AI generated talent and interactive TV experiences if we’re to attract younger viewers on TV.”
“That said, ROXi automatically excludes all unlicensed AI generated music from its catalogue. AI start-ups need to ensure the songwriters, artists, and rights holders of all the music used to train their AI services have been properly licensed and renumerated before we’d ever reconsider our position”.
ROXi is a free channel on broadcast TV through NEXTGEN TV broadcasters Sinclair and Gray, and is available in the UK and Ireland on Sky Q, Sky Stream and Sky Glass.