Artificial intelligence has ventured into creating movies and music, and it has now found its way into having its own dedicated TV channel on the popular streaming platform, the Roku Channel.
The addition of Fairground AI Creator TV, which features fully AI-generated content available 24/7 for free, was not officially announced by Roku. Cord Cutters News was the first to report the inclusion of this channel in Roku’s lineup.
However, the response from online viewers seems to suggest that there may be a reluctance to engage with this new channel. Critics like Frank Landymore of Futurism and Bradly Shankar of MobileSyrup have expressed disapproval of Roku’s decision to offer what they perceive as a continuous stream of low-quality AI content.
Fairground AI operates as a FAST channel, offering free ad-supported streaming television. While there are approximately 200 FAST channels accessible on the Roku Channel in Canada, Fairground AI is not currently among them. The company has not disclosed any plans to introduce the channel in Canada.
Roku, a leading streaming service provider globally, was recently acquired by Fox in a deal valued at $22 billion US. The launch of the new AI channel aligns with a growing trend of AI-generated content in different entertainment sectors, such as the film industry and character creation by companies like Hasbro.
Colin Petrie-Norris, the CEO of Fairground AI, anticipates a similar evolution for AI content creators as seen with YouTube creators, who have become mainstream personalities driving substantial revenue in the entertainment industry.
Fenwick McKelvey, an information and communication technology policy professor at Concordia University, notes that Roku’s introduction of an AI channel reflects a broader trend in the streaming industry to cut costs and increase viewer engagement. He emphasizes the diverse reasons people watch TV, suggesting that the AI channel may serve as a dynamic screensaver for some viewers.
Despite the potential of AI-generated content, concerns remain regarding issues like creative control, copyright infringement, and privacy violations associated with AI technology. Industry experts and organizations like the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television, and Radio Artists have called for more regulations to address these challenges.
Overall, the integration of AI in entertainment raises important questions about the future of content creation, consumption, and the economic implications for artists and creators.