We’re proud to debut our new podcast series, Tech for Non-Techies, where we unpack complex tech trends and their real-world impact, all in plain English.

Episode one dives straight into one of the most provocative developments in modern journalism: the rise of AI-generated avatar news presenters.

And we may be making a little podcast history along the way. This could be the first-ever interview with an avatar news anchor.

Whether you find it fascinating or deeply unsettling, avatar journalism is no longer a fringe experiment. It’s already here, reshaping how information is produced and consumed at a time when public trust in the media is under immense pressure and the line between fact and fiction is increasingly blurred.

A tool for transparency, or a Trojan horse?

When Albania unveiled the world’s first AI-powered “avatar minister”, Diella, it signalled a shift in how governments and institutions might communicate in the future. The same technology is now entering the newsroom.

In some cases, it’s being used transparently to increase efficiency in cash-strapped newsrooms, freeing up human journalists to focus on investigation and analysis while avatars deliver pre-scripted bulletins. That’s the optimistic version.

But there’s a darker side. Around the world, synthetic personas, complete with fake biographies, social media accounts, and even entire websites, are being deployed to impersonate real journalists. Their mission? To amplify propaganda, sow confusion, and manipulate audiences. These aren’t just avatars; they’re instruments of deception by design.

Inside the avatar newsroom

In Episode One, we go behind the scenes of this phenomenon. Karen Allen speaks to Zenzele Ndebele, founder of Zimbabwe’s Centre for Innovation and Technology (CITE), which is experimenting with avatar journalism to promote civic accountability.

We also meet Alice, Africa’s first AI avatar news presenter, and hear directly from the team who brought her to life.

Rounding out the conversation is Caroline Vuillemin, Director General of Fondation Hirondelle, a Swiss-based organisation supporting independent media in crisis zones. She raises critical questions about the ethics and credibility of synthetic news delivery, and what’s lost when the human element is removed from storytelling.

Our take on avatar journalism

At Karen Allen International, we’ve seen how rapidly AI is transforming the information landscape — and how easily innovation can outpace integrity.

Karen reflects:

“As a former BBC correspondent reporting from conflict zones, I’ve witnessed the real-world consequences of misinformation. Avatars might seem harmless, even helpful — but in the wrong hands, they could become tools of influence at a scale we’re not yet equipped to counter.”

While deepfakes capture headlines, it’s the “spreader effect” that poses the greater threat: AI-generated narratives disguised as authentic journalism, multiplied at speed and scale, and almost impossible to fact-check in real time.

That’s why this conversation matters. It’s not just about technology, it’s about democracy, accountability, and trust.

We believe AI can enhance journalism, but only when guided by transparency, ethics, and human oversight. The future of news must be both innovative and responsible.