ITV

Tag: Brad Smith

  • India Today Group unleashes five regional AI anchors to team up with Sana

    India Today Group unleashes five regional AI anchors to team up with Sana

    Mumbai: In a historic moment at the 5th India Today Conclave in Mumbai held on 5 October, India Today Group managing director Kalli Purie, joined Sana, India’s First AI anchor, to introduce a cutting-edge roster of AI anchors. Representing diverse regions of India, these AI regional anchors are set to redefine how news is delivered and consumed, marking a significant milestone in newsroom evolution.

    The India Today Group ushered in a new era of AI journalism earlier this year when it introduced India’s First AI Anchor, Sana; in March. Since then, Sana has tirelessly delivered 200 hours of programming, transcending various genres, languages, and platforms. In less than six months, Sana has already added several credits to her belt including interacting with PM Modi (first AI Anchor to interact with a head of the state), anchoring a dedicated segment on prime-time, and interacting with global leaders like Brad Smith of Microsoft and Shahrukh Khan.

    On the concluding day of India Today Conclave 2023 in Mumbai, Purie took the opportunity to get Sana to introduce a diverse array of AI anchors: SAIli, the pioneering AI Marathi news anchor for Mumbai Tak; AIshwarya, the authoritative Hindi anchor for UP Tak, Bharat Tak, and News Tak; NAIna, the engaging Bhojpuri anchor on Aaj Tak 2; AIna, India’s inaugural Bengali AI anchor on Aaj Tak Bangla; and JAI, the articulate English AI anchor on India Today TV, representing the global perspective.

    Speaking about the group’s AI anchors, Purie said, “For the first time in our group’s 48-year history, we’ve taken a leap by creating an anchor from scratch rather than hiring one! These AI Anchors exemplify our unwavering commitment to always looking out for new tech that can enable our newsroom to deliver a richer faster more personalised news experience.

    The AI news anchors cater to diverse linguistic communities across the nation, appreciating and understanding their local preferences in terms of content preference, dialect, culture, and language, creating a personal connection with the audience. This strategic move underscores the Group’s dedication to innovation and its commitment to a superior quality audience experience.

    AI Anchor profiles

    Aaj Tak now has the dynamic AI anchor NAIna, who spearheads the Bhojpuri news segment on the Aaj Tak 2 digital platform. Across India, Bhojpuri-speaking audiences are known to be the raging group driving YouTube-based news consumption. Infused with an innate understanding of the language’s nuances, AI Naina seamlessly captivates audiences, ensuring the delivery of Bhojpuri news with an amalgamation of authenticity and precision.

    In a significant stride towards bolstering regional representation, the Mumbai Tak digital platform proudly presents SAIli, its first AI news reader, proficient in Marathi. Saili’s eloquence and understanding of the regional flourish harmoniously resonate with the Marathi audience.

    AI anchor AIshwarya brings cheer to the Hindi-speaking audience on News Tak, Bharat Tak and UP Tak. An embodiment of credible journalism and precision reporting, she effortlessly fosters a robust connection with the audience through her seamless news delivery with utmost accuracy.

    Possessing absolute proficiency in Bangla and personifying the Bengali culture, AI anchor AIna establishes a compelling bond with viewers who seek news in their native tongue. Her accent, eye for detail, and cultural sensitivity establish an immediate connection with the audience of Aaj Tak Bangla.

    JAI, the dashing AI anchor, is at the helm of the English news spectrum analysis on India Today TV. His high-speed data analysis capability for churning out news content that resonates with its audiences nationwide and his innovative storytelling is highly captivating. His mastery of the language and the ease of communication make him dear to his viewers.

  • Clash of the tech titans: it’s now Google Vs Microsoft

    Clash of the tech titans: it’s now Google Vs Microsoft

    MUMBAI: Google’s Global Affairs senior VP Kent Walker has lashed out at software giant Microsoft in a blog post, accusing it of “reverting to its familiar playbook of attacking rivals” and “lobbying for regulations that benefit their own interests”.

    This was after his counterpart Microsoft President Brad Smith dissed Google’s business policies while testifying before the United States congressional subcommittee hearing on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law. Microsoft later also published the transcript of Smith's testimony on its blog titled ‘Technology and the Free Press: The Need for Healthy Journalism in a Healthy Democracy’, where he blamed Google's business model for "devouring" ad revenue on which news groups rely.

    The heated war of words between the two conglomerates comes after Microsoft backed legislation that could force big tech companies in the US like Google and Facebook to pay to feature news on their platforms. Google and Facebook have resisted mandatory payments, while Microsoft has taken a more collaborative stance, even going so far as to lobby for other countries to follow Australia's lead in calling for news outlets to be paid for their online content. A move opposed by both the tech companies.

    The software giant took on the search engine leader head on in its blog while talking about the accelerating crisis in news and journalism, that reflected the shift away from traditional advertising  to digital advertising, enabled by the emergence of the internet. It goes on to say, “While Google and Facebook have gained the most revenue from the shift to digital advertising, Google in multiple ways is unique. Google has been the biggest winner, capturing about a third of all digital advertising revenue in US in the last year.”

    It further adds, “Google’s full impact, however, is based not on its large numbers but its multiple roles. Google accesses and uses news in a way that is different from Facebook. More important, it is the dominant technology firm in virtually every corner of the digital advertising ecosystem. Google’s digital advertising business encompasses the entire internet. It enables Google to aggregate the content of others, attract users, harvest their data, and then directly target them with ads at an unprecedented scale.”

    Only stopping short of suggesting that it has “unlawfully” built up its business, it concludes by saying, “Google’s business model is fed by the very content that these ailing news organisations create.”

    Google, on its part, has launched a scathing counter-attack saying it was “no coincidence” that Microsoft’s interest in attacking the tech company came “at a moment when they’ve allowed tens of thousands of their customers-  including government agencies in the US, NATO allies, banks, non-profits, telecommunications providers, public utilities, police, fire and rescue units, hospitals and, presumably, news organisations – to be actively hacked via major Microsoft vulnerabilities.” This was in reference to the SolarWinds Hack ransomware attack, which has left several companies reeling across the world.

    The search engine colossus further states, “This important debate should be about the substance of the issue, and not derailed by naked corporate opportunism”, while also declaring Microsoft’s claims about Google’s business and how it work with news publishers are “just plain wrong”. It concludes by saying, “Microsoft’s attempts at distraction aside, we’ll continue to collaborate with news organisations and policymakers around the world to enable a strong future for journalism. “

  • Anne Sweeney & Microsoft’s Brad Smith joins Netflix board

    Anne Sweeney & Microsoft’s Brad Smith joins Netflix board

    MUMBAI: Netflix, Inc has added former Disney Media Networks co-chair and Disney-ABC Television president Anne Sweeney, and Microsoft Corp executive vice president and general counsel, legal and corporate affairs Brad Smith to its board.

     

    With this the total number of directors are now nine.

     

    “We look forward to benefitting from Brad and Anne’s perspective as we continue to build our global Internet TV network,” said Netflix co-founder and chief executive Reed Hastings.

     

    Sweeney’s entertainment experience spans more than three decades including senior roles at the Walt Disney Co., 21st Century Fox and Viacom. Until she stepped down in January, she oversaw Disney’s cable, broadcast and satellite properties around the world since 2004. Previously, she helped establish and served as FX Networks chairman and CEO, part of the Fox Entertainment Group of 21st Century Fox. Earlier in her career, she spent more than 12 years at Viacom’s Nickelodeon network.

     

    Smith, who has served as Microsoft’s general counsel since 2002, has amassed broad global technology and public policy experience since joining the company in 1993. He spent three years leading the company’s legal and corporate affairs team in Europe and five years as deputy general counsel responsible for such teams outside the US. His area of expertise includes competition law, intellectual property, government surveillance and privacy.