Odisha TV in India has a new anchorwoman powered by AI technology. Lisa opened her first broadcast by saying “Warm greetings to everyone. Namaste… I am Lisa” before announcing she is a “historic moment” for on-air news. She is Odisha’s first virtual news anchor and speaks multiple languages including Odia and English.
“She is going to be a great partner in being able to do the jobs that are repetitive so that the news people can focus on doing more creative work to bring better quality news to the people of Odisha,” said Jagi Mangat Panda, Managing Director of Odisha TV as reported by The Times London. He also said Lisa represents “a milestone in broadcasting TV and digital journalism.”
Lisa opens up a world of new possibilities for news broadcasts. She is easy to control and can keep audiences updated on the latest news while catering to specific regional languages. Lisa will cover news stories mostly in Odia and will be able to share stories faster than prepping a live anchor, likely to focus her attention on breaking news and headlines such as election results.
Lisa is still evolving her interactive skills and becoming more proficient in Odia. Want to connect with Lisa? You can find her online presence on various social media platforms including Instagram and Facebook.
“We are still working on it. We are hoping to get her trained to the level in which she could interact with others easily,” said Litisha Mangat Panda.
As reported by Deadline, India Today introduced its own AI news anchor last April. Sana reads headlines ahead of a real live news anchor, not instead of. Both India Today and Odisha TV say the AI anchor women are not a threat to anyone’s job. They are another tool to utilize to create a better news experience for audiences and employees alike. The stations are not planning to replace all on-air talents with AI anchors.