Term of the Moment
cellphone
Definition: virtual newscaster
A computer-generated person who broadcasts the news. Using speech synthesis to read the text, virtual newscasters are available 24 hours a day to deliver any information and news bulletins.
Text-to-Video
Virtual newscasters were expected to flourish after the turn of the century, but it took two decades to take hold. In the 2020s, text-to-video using AI surfaced in several incarnations, allowing human figures in customizable video backgrounds to simulate speech directly from text input (see AI video generator). See VTuber and AI influencer.
Ananova - The First Virtual Newscaster
Text-to-Video
Virtual newscasters were expected to flourish after the turn of the century, but it took two decades to take hold. In the 2020s, text-to-video using AI surfaced in several incarnations, allowing human figures in customizable video backgrounds to simulate speech directly from text input (see AI video generator). See VTuber and AI influencer.
Launched in the U.K. in 2000, Ananova delivered breaking news, sports, weather and gossip for four years. This exotic young lady was also used to look for entertainment throughout the U.K. and even purchase tickets. (Image courtesy of Orange, a subsidiary of France Telecom.)