CG characters using AI "News Yomiko"

About

NHK is developing content using AI, including an AI announcer called “News Yomiko.”
She has appeared in programs over the past four years, since April, 2018. Currently, she appears on the programs “News Shibuya 5 O’clock,” and “Weekly World News.” Please have a look!

Making more-natural speech possible!
NHK STRL has developed a speech synthesis engine able to accurately reproduce Japanese accents, producing more-natural speech.
The system also learns from articles posted on NHK NEWS WEB, to improve its lexicon and pronunciation.

News Shibuya 5 O’clock
－Notable News Ranking－

(NHK General, 5pm Thursdays)

  • A summary of the week’s popular news topics from the internet is introduced.
  • The script and movements for Yomiko, a CG announcer, are controlled in real time, synthesizing a live broadcast from a virtual studio.

Weekly World News

(BS1, 8 am Saturdays)

  • A digest of the week’s world news, introduced by Yomiko, as the MC.
  • Studio video segments integrating Yomiko CG with the background are produced using just a notebook PC.
  • Yomiko’s voice is used for all parts except where foreign news is dubbed.