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In Venezuela, AI news anchors aren’t replacing journalists. They’re protecting them


While journalists in much of the world see artificial intelligence as a threat to their livelihoods, in Venezuela – where showing your face on a news report can conceivably land you in jail – many see it more favorably; as protection.

Prompting this leap into a brave new world of technology is that real-life journalists in the country have found reporting the news an increasingly dangerous business since Maduro’s controversial reelection – a result that has been hotly disputed by the opposition and caused widespread skepticism abroad. Rather than focus on live broadcasts or written articles, its digitally created avatars simply read the news in clips that can be posted on the likes of Instagram and Facebook, or downloaded and forwarded on WhatsApp and other messaging services. Huerta told CNN that, in addition to the Spanish and the newly launched English versions of the service, his team wants to make the content available in Russian, Chinese and other languages to reach audiences in countries whose governments are among Maduro’s strongest allies.

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