What happens when China's state-run media embraces AI?

In a 2016 address to propaganda cadres and state-run media personnel, Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed dreams of instilling a new international media order "wherever the readers are, wherever the viewers are; that is where propaganda reports must extend their tentacles." As Xinhua News, China's largest state-run news agency, equips itself with "Media Brain," an artificial intelligence (AI) newsroom to assist all stages of reporting, these "tentacles" of propaganda may extend faster. Bringing AI to newsrooms can improve accuracy, enhance data analysis, and increase efficiency. According to a video released by Xinhua in January, the AI newsroom will do everything "from finding leads to news gathering, editing, distribution, and, finally, feedback analysis." Last week, Xinhua announced an update to Media Brain called "MAGIC," which will use machine generated content (MGC) for "fast-speed news production" and can automatically generate a news video in as fast as 10 seconds.