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."