Venezuela’s newest news agency says AI anchors protect reporters amid government crackdown

Venezuela’s Communications Ministry did not respond to a request for comment about the AI ​​journalism initiative [File]
| Photo Credit: Reuters

One of Venezuela’s newest news anchors, dressed in a flannel shirt and chinos, sits on a stool and recounts the day’s headlines.

He is known by the nickname “El Pana”, a Venezuelan word for “friend”.

Only, it’s not real.

El Pana and his associate “La Chama” or “The Girl” are created using artificial intelligenceHowever, they look, sound and move very realistically.

They were created as part of an initiative called “Operation Retweet” by the Colombia-based organization Connectas, led by director Carlos Huertas, which aimed to publish news from a dozen independent media outlets in Venezuela and protect journalists in the process, as the government has launched a crackdown on journalists and protesters.

“We decided to use artificial intelligence for the information we publish because our colleagues who are still doing their jobs are facing much greater risks,” Huertas said in an interview.

At least 10 journalists have been arrested since mid-June and eight remain in jail on charges including terrorism, according to Reporters Without Borders.

“Here, the use of artificial intelligence … is almost like a mixture of technology and journalism,” Huertas said, adding that the project aims to “avoid harassment and increasing repression” from the government, as there will be no one who faces arrest.

The country’s opposition and human rights groups have said recent arrests of protesters, opposition leaders and journalists are part of a government crackdown aimed at quelling the months-long, sometimes violent election dispute.

Venezuela’s communications ministry did not respond to a request for comment about the AI ​​journalism initiative. No officials responded to repeated requests for comment by Reuters about the arrests of journalists in recent weeks.

Both the opposition and President Nicolas Maduro have claimed victory in the July 28 election.

Maduro, in power since 2013, has the support of the Supreme Court and the electoral authority, which has not published the full vote count because of what it says was a cyber attack.

The opposition has counted more than 80% of the vote, showing its candidate Edmundo Gonzalez won. Some international observers and several Western countries have said the election conditions were unfair and have demanded a full recount.

At least 27 people have died and 2,400 have been arrested in protests since the vote, and detentions of opposition leaders and protesters continue under the government’s “Operation Knock Knock.”

Maduro and his administration have called the protesters fascists and said they are inciting hatred at the behest of countries like the United States, though Washington denies this.