Channel 4’s alternative Christmas message will this year be generated entirely by artificial intelligence, the broadcaster has announced. The message will be delivered by Ameca, one of the world’s most advanced robots.
The broadcast, which will run after the King’s annual Christmas message at 3pm, will see the robot speak about the highs and lows of 2022. During the address Ameca will also respond to questions about humans.
She is due to say that human-kind should be “neither happy nor sad” about the past year and “take it as a learning opportunity, a chance to change the way we think about the world and a reminder to help those in need whenever we can”.
Ameca was developed by Engineered Arts, a British company based in Cornwall. The robot is capable of ultra-realistic reactions and can smile or frown, blink, scrunch its nose and even wink.
To deliver the Alternative Christmas Message, Ameca is using AI software that generates answers from millions of different inputs to give a human-like response. Nothing Ameca will say has been written or scripted by a human.
She will also share a more uplifting message, telling audiences that the best thing about humans is that they “always find something to laugh about”. Ameca will remind us that if we are ever feeling down, we should remember we have “the superpower to bring a little bit of joy into the world”.
Channel 4’s chief content officer, Ian Katz, said: “As we look to a future in which Artificial Intelligence is set to have an increasingly prominent role in our lives, Ameca’s Alternative Christmas Message is a vivid illustration of both the power and limitations of this technology. Despite Ameca’s remarkably lifelike facial expressions, I suspect most viewers will come away reassured that humans are not about to be displaced by AI robots any time soon."
Channel 4’s Alternative Christmas Message will air on Christmas Day at 5.25pm on Channel 4 and All 4.
