fedha, a blond, blue-eyed woman, is the news anchor for the Kuwait News channel. Despite having good diction and demeanor in front of the camera, Fedha is not a normal journalist, she is one creation of artificial intelligence.

The channel from Kuwait, an Arab country in the Persian Gulf, presented the character on its social networks and on television. “I am Fedha, the first presenter in Kuwait to work with artificial intelligence,” said the journalist who only appears on screen to broadcast the news.

According to Abdullah Boftain, the outlet’s editor-in-chief, it is Fedha’s intention explore “new and innovative content” leveraging the possibilities of artificial intelligence.

While the robot has a neutral tone, Kuwait News explains that it could adopt a Kuwaiti accent in the future.

Controversy in Kuwait

Fedha’s 13-second video presentation has sparked controversy among Kuwaiti media workers and society at large. Some journalists have stated that the use of this technology is taking jobs away from people who are trained and need the job, demonstrating once again that some jobs are at risk with the development of artificial intelligence.

“Our jobs are at risk. Will Fedha and his colleagues be our replacements in the near future?

On the other hand, the physical appearance chosen for the presenter was not to everyone’s taste. According to Boftain, her fair complexion, blond hair and blue eyes were chosen to represent the diversity of the Kuwaiti people.

“Fedha represents the whole world,” the editor said, but Hipertextual notes that people of Persian descent make up the majority in the country.