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The rise of Artificial Intelligence is a widely acknowledged trend, but it’s still too early to understand how will change entertainment and -to remain in our field- unscripted shows. One thing's for sure: at the moment it's very fashionable and newsworthy.
Animated AI hosts/anchors are an example of a possible application (not the most interesting, to tell the truth). After the virtual hosts of Wizard of Sauce (see Friday’s Espresso 3rd Feb), after NAT, the Mexican “artificial anchor” (launched last 18th March) and Fedha, the “artificial anchor” of Kuwait News (that premiered last 12th April), now it’s the turn of Viral Bhabhi.
Viral Hua Re debuted last 20th August on QYOU Media India’s Hindi general-entertainment channel Q TV. The show -that tries to transport the mobile phone experience onto television- features viral short-form videos sourced from social platforms, that include comedy, pranks, gags, falls and fails. All this commented by Viral Bhabhi, the AI anchor.
Nothing particularly remarkable: this trend seems more like a passing fad.