AI news anchors used without disclosure on Serbian national TV
Serbian national television station Hepi used AI-generated video presenters to read news without disclosing their artificial nature to viewers, reportedly the first such case in Serbia. A journalists' association noted the practice violated ethical standards and contravened principles of the EU Artificial Intelligence Act.
What happened
AI-generated video presenters appeared on Hepi television reading news bulletins without disclosure to viewers that they were artificially generated. The presenters were identified with Serbian names: Bojana Filipović and Marko Popović.
Hepi television stated the AI presenters were tools to improve content presentation and production efficiency, not replacements for journalists and editors. The station said journalists, editors and expert teams continued to prepare, verify and edit content according to professional and ethical standards.
Reported impact
The Serbian journalists' association (UNS) stated this was the first case in Serbia where a nationally broadcast television station used AI presenters instead of human news anchors. UNS noted that Serbian law prohibits publishing content that could mislead the public, particularly in news programming, but domestic legislation contains no specific provisions on AI use in television anchor roles.
Index analysis
UNS cited the EU Artificial Intelligence Act, with which Serbian law will be aligned, stating that viewers must be informed when content is generated or presented using artificial intelligence. International precedent includes China's Xinhua news agency introducing an AI male anchor in 2018, and Greece's ERT public broadcaster creating an AI presenter in 2023.
Governance controls
Hepi television stated it introduces innovations thoughtfully, transparently and responsibly, with the aim of serving quality public information and enabling new communication formats with audiences.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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