The Evening News, Brought to You by AI

I vaguely remember Walter Cronkite reporting the news as the quiet evenings of my childhood slipped into a time less innocent. I don’t recall much of what he said, or how he said it. My parents paid attention, I’m sure, but all I can picture is the man. A reliable, respectable human being. He reported in line with the standards of objective journalism. He was an upright news anchor, and we could believe him. At least, that’s the way I remember him. But maybe I only remember what the adults around me believed. And maybe they only believed what the powers behind the evening news wanted them to believe.

In any case, news coverage is not be what it once was. Now, reporting the facts is less important, perhaps, than supporting the agenda. We may wonder if our media here in America has fallen under a spell of sorts, but we get the gist of daily events from men and women who are not under any real coercion to tell us lies. They may cloud the truth. They might hope to sway us. But at least they’re not being programmed. Yet.

When I first heard of China’s AI news anchors I thought, why build a robot to read the evening news? Why not create a friendly teller who could never be tempted to steal money from the bank? Or a nice waiter who doesn’t require a tip? In my books about the world’s first transhuman, I wrote about the convergence of politics and entertainment, about the use of the media to set the pulse of the nation, so I get it. A trustworthy face at the end of the day to spin the bad news with compassion, and praise certain leaders with a confident nod, is a better use of AI technology.

China’s first AI anchor was introduced a few months ago, and recently joined by a female counterpart. The male anchor is handsome, perfectly groomed. The female, modeled after a real reporter, appears impeccable, right down to her pearl earrings. The political slant of these two is not an issue, since they’re not real. They have no agenda. No opinion. Their standards are unquestionable. They are just as safe, as welcoming, as quaintly familiar as Walter Cronkite with his gray mustache. And people will believe whatever they say, welcoming their calming voices at the end of the day. But an AI anchor has no voice. Not really.

China leads the way in AI. How long until that country’s friendly couple are replicated with American features, maybe a slight Midwest accent? Would AI anchors in the U.S.A. grow a new level of trust between the people and the media? Would their programming encourage adherence to the old standards of objective journalism? If not, maybe nobody would notice. 

Maybe no one will notice at all when the robots bring us the evening news.

Click here to see China's AI news anchors in action:

Male anchor

Female anchor

Here We Go into the Dark and the Deep

Transhumanism may become the not-so-fictitious science reality of the future. As I put it on page one of Wake the Dead—the near future. Some of my readers are troubled by the deep, dark world of altered humanity. Others consider my rendering of a new world order the more frightening prospect. But the two society-shifting events—operative AI and revolutionary government— must be closely intertwined. At least, that’s how I wrote it.

I’m deep into writing another novel now. One set in current time. No transhumans. My research intent for this new story was to read a couple of books outside my comfort zone as a Christian—books by Richard Dawkins and Daniel Dennett—outspoken atheists who’ve written on the subject. But I wanted to write about a likeable atheist, one who would rouse empathy, and I wasn’t sure I could do that with too much information. Some may disagree with my decision to skip the research once they’ve read the new book, but I’m okay with that.

Now that my imagination is occupied by someone other than Chase Sterling, I'm not always as judicious about the shifts in technology and how they affect our lives. For instance, after hearing the term “dark web” at least a hundred times, I decided to look into it. Not literally—I still don’t know how to pull it up on my computer. But I do know that most people refer to the “dark web” when what they really mean is the “deep web.” I started to read a beginner’s guide to accessing the “dark web” but decided to save it for after the apocalypse.

Along with the web growing dark and deep is the state of the media growing deeply unclear. The “deep fake” has surpassed “fake news” with undeniable creations of real people saying real things. Only they didn’t actually say what they said. If we can't believe our own eyes and ears, then we can't believe anything reported by any source. And if we lose all faith in the media, what will be the outcome? Somebody will need to take charge. In my books, it’s the media and entertainment conglomerate called SynVue, which gains control over both politics and the reporting of politics. Prior to this widely accepted takeover, the Constitution loses all power, and the United States dies as the Western Republic is born. Fringe groups of dissenters form and Christians begin meeting underground. But it's a gradual process and most people adjust to their new existence. That is, until SynVue turns a celebrity into a transhuman and inadvertently creates its own worst enemy. Of course, it’s only a story, the plot of my trilogy.

But the truth waiting around the bend of our reality may be just as subtle, just a weird, and just as defeating. As a Christian still enjoying the freedoms of being an American, still attending packed worship services in a publicly designated facility, still getting this blog out there on the not-so-dark web, what am I supposed to do to prepare for the future? If I learned anything from Chase Sterling, it comes from this quote at the end of Transfusion: “We will not hide. Love is too strong and judgement too certain for us to remain a whisper of weakness.” (Yes, I realize I wrote those words, but a character worth writing becomes real to the writer. So in my mind, Chase said it.)

While I’ve got the chance to share the hope of the gospel, and even if I lose the privilege, I will not hide. It’s all I have to offer, now and in the future.

Articles of interest:

New Malicious AI Reports Biggest Threats of the Next 5 Years

https://singularityhub.com/2018/03/06/malicious-ai-report-outlines-biggest-threats-of-the-next-5-years/#sm.00000wi1f8c6pdcwzr4ami0awjg7p

Deep State Panics: America No Longer Believes Us!

https://www.infowars.com/deep-state-panics-america-no-longer-believes-us/

Alarming Advances Made In Digital Media Manipulation

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2018/03/05/digital-media-manipulation/