A Kuwaiti news website this week introduced a “virtual news anchor” spawned by artificial intelligence, which it hopes to assign to present a news bulletin.

Dressed in a white T-shirt and black jacket, “Fedha” – “Asimina”, loosely translated – appeared on the Kuwait News Twitter account on Saturday as part of a test program. “I am Fedha, the first anchor in Kuwait working with artificial intelligence at Kuwait News. What kind of news do you prefer? Let’s hear your views,” says a female voice, speaking in classical Arabic.

The site is affiliated with the Kuwait Times, the Gulf’s first English-language newspaper, which has been in circulation since 1961. According to its deputy editor-in-chief, Abdullah Boftain, the aim is to test the capabilities of artificial intelligence and suggest “new and innovative content.” to the readers. In the future the presenter may acquire a “Kuwaiti” accent and present a newsletter on the Kuwait News Twitter account, which is followed by 1.2 million subscribers.

“The name Fendha is an old, popular name in Kuwait that refers to silver, the metal. We always imagine robots as metallic and silver, so we combined the name,” said Bovtain.

As for the appearance of the presenter, who is blonde, with blue eyes, it reflects the diversity of the country’s population. “Fedha represents everyone,” he assured.

The 13-second video in which Fendha was introduced to the world caused mixed reactions on social media platforms, mainly from journalists. “Our jobs are at risk. Will Fendha and her colleagues replace us in the near future?’ one of them asked.