TVC News anchor Abosede Adeniran has dismissed suggestions that the station’s artificial intelligence news anchor, Olamide, poses a threat to human presenters, describing AI anchors as additions that help improve the speed of news delivery....
TVC News anchor Abosede Adeniran has dismissed suggestions that the station’s artificial intelligence news anchor, poses a threat to human presenters, describing AI anchors as additions that help improve the speed of news delivery.
Speaking during an interview with host Penina Karibbe on the Talk Africa+ Podcast, Adeniran shared humorous behind-the-scenes moments from TVC’s newsroom following the launch of Ameera, described as Nigeria’s first AI news anchor.
Asked whether She had ever watched the virtual presenter and wondered if she was coming for her spotlight, Adeniran said the newsroom banter had been lively.
She revealed that TVC has at least three staff members named Olamide, prompting colleagues to distinguish the virtual presenter by calling her “AI”.
According to her, the AI anchor playfully responds, “Hey, I’m the real Olamide here, no AI here!”
Beyond the humour, Adeniran said AI presenters should be viewed as technological additions that help newsrooms deliver stories faster rather than replacements for human journalists.
She argued that human presenters bring qualities that artificial intelligence cannot fully replicate, including effective voice delivery, proper script interpretation, empathy and critical reasoning.
Adeniran also highlighted the importance of journalists examining statements critically rather than simply reading them, stressing the human judgement required to interpret information and communicate stories meaningfully.
Her comments underline the distinction between using AI to improve newsroom efficiency and relying on human journalists to provide context, judgement and the emotional intelligence needed in news presentation.