China Unveils Humanoid Robot News Anchors at World Media Summit

Beijing, (SONNA) – Xinhua News Agency has unveiled what it describes as the world’s first bionic humanoid robot news anchors at the 7th World Media Summit in Beijing.

Developed jointly with robotics company UBTECH, the two anchors, Xinyu and Xinyan, were introduced on 5 November during a forum on artificial intelligence and Chinese modernisation. Designed with human-like proportions, the robots feature lifelike skin and can present news on camera. Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou led their visual design.

The forum was attended by directors from Somalia’s Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism: Abdishakur Ali Ahmed, Director of Strategic Communication; Mohamedkafi Sheikh Abukar, Director of Somali National Television; and Ismail Mukhtar Omar, Director of the Somali National News Agency (SONNA).

“The unveiling of this technology shows how rapidly the tools of journalism are evolving. For Somalia, the opportunity lies in adapting innovation to our language, our audiences and our public information needs. Technology should strengthen journalists’ work, with accuracy, human judgment and public trust guiding its use,” said Abdishakur Ali Ahmed, Director of Strategic Communication at Somalia’s Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism.

According to Xinhua’s report, Qian Tong, Director of its New Media Centre, described robot anchors as “a new type of newsroom worker, rather than a new protagonist.” Their intended duties include news presentation, multilingual delivery and live interaction.

The robots are connected to Xinhua Yudian, the agency’s AI-powered news information system, which provides access to reviewed news content. UBTECH Chairman and CEO Zhou Jian said the approach is designed to reduce the risks associated with inaccurate AI-generated information.

The demonstration offered the Somali delegation an opportunity to explore how emerging technologies could support media modernisation while preserving editorial oversight and public confidence.