This year’s Channel 4 Alternative Christmas Message will be generated entirely by artificial intelligence.
The broadcast, which will air at the same time as the traditional King’s Speech on the BBC and ITV, will see Ameca, one of the world’s most advanced robots, deliver a message about the power and limitations of AI.
Ameca says we should be “neither happy nor sad about 2022” and “take it as a learning opportunity, a chance to change the way we think about the world and a reminder to help those in need whenever we can”.
The robot also has a positive message for humans, praising our ability to “always find something to laugh about”.
Ameca was created by Engineered Arts, a British company based in Cornwall, and uses AI software that generates answers from millions of different inputs to give a human-like response.
Channel 4’s chief content officer Ian Katz said: “As we look to a future in which artificial intelligence is set to have an increasingly prominent role in our lives, Ameca’s Alternative Christmas Message is a vivid illustration of both the power and limitations of this technology.
“Despite Ameca’s remarkably lifelike facial expressions, I suspect most viewers will come away reassured that humans are not about to be displaced by AI robots any time soon.”
But when is the speech set to air? Read on for everything you need to know about how to watch Channel 4’s Alternative Christmas Message.
When is Channel 4’s Alternative Christmas Message?
The Alternative Christmas Message is set to air on Christmas Day (25th December) 2022 at 5:25pm on Channel 4.
How to watch Channel 4’s Alternative Christmas Message
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The speech will air on Channel 4 and become available on Channel 4’s on demand service All 4 shortly after broadcast.
Channel 4’s Alternative Christmas Message has aired every year since 1993 and has featured a range of presenters, including former President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, former Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow, and a ‘deepfake’ digitally-created Queen.
Last year’s message was delivered by Tom Daley.
The Alternative Christmas Message airs on Christmas Day (25th December) 2022 at 5:25pm on Channel 4.
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