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Generative AI startup to create AI newscasts

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Jul 26, 2023

A screenshot of a Channel 1 news package. Screenshot: courtesy of Channel 1.

A new startup called Channel 1 wants to use generative AI to create automated newscasts with digital anchors that can be customized to fit viewers' political slant.

Why it matters: The rapid acceleration of generative AI technology figures to disrupt the media industry in ways we can't even think of yet.

How it works: Channel 1's technology can automatically create video news packages that feature an AI anchor.

  • The more a viewer watches, the more the tech learns what type of stories that person wants to see and automatically starts to serve those.
  • Viewers have the option of choosing their anchors to have a more conservative or liberal slant. It's also available in multiple languages.
  • The data will be gathered from three buckets: Publicly available material like press releases and conference call transcripts; partnerships with brands and media outlets; and an independent partner program aimed at individual journalists.
  • "It takes their content and makes it a video story, but also exposes them to a new audience and a new income stream," Channel 1 founder Adam Mosan tells Tim.
  • The newscasts will be available through a free ad-supported streaming channel (FAST) this fall, with a mobile app next year.

What's next: As of now, the company is self-funded, Mosan says, but the plan is to go out to investors eventually.

  • "I've been funding it. We have not gone out to the market for fundraising yet. We probably will in the future."
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