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Xinhua and robotics firm UBTech have unveiled two humanoid robot news anchors, named Xinyan and Xinyu, at the World Media Summit in Beijing. The pair made their first newscast after appearing in a futuristic film presentation, according to Buenos Aires Times.
Why it mattersThe report says film director Zhang Yimou helped shape their design, with attention to the uncanny valley. That makes this a concrete, if still lightly described, step in putting humanoid robots in a newsroom role. The announcement offers no detail on how the pair would work alongside journalists or whether they will deliver news beyond this debut.
Discuss: Should humanoid robot anchors be treated as newsroom colleagues, or as presentation tools that still need clear human oversight?
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