World's First Bionic Humanoid Robot News Anchors Debut at Media Summit

On November 5, at the Seventh World Media Summit's Forum on AI and Chinese Modernization, the world's first bionic humanoid robot news anchors made their official debut. Organizers said the launch moved the "authoritative information + embodied intelligence" model from theory to physical application, creating a new paradigm for news delivery in the AI era.

Named Xinyan and Xinyu, the two anchors were jointly developed by Xinhua News Agency and UBTECH for newsroom scenarios. Chinese director Zhang Yimou was chief designer of their visual identity. Both are 1:1 human-scale replicas.

The robots use Xinhua's AI current-affairs agent, Xinhua Yudian, and UBTECH's self-developed full-chain technology, including bionic skin, embodied-AI hardware, an operating system, an emotional large model and end-to-end manufacturing. Xinhua said the combination gives the anchors on-camera reporting capability in live news settings.

The project reflects growing convergence between media and robotics. By pairing authoritative news resources with humanoid platforms, the partners aim to test how embodied AI can support broadcast presentation and audience engagement. The debut also highlights China's push to integrate AI into news production. While current use cases center on studio and event reporting, the developers describe the platform as a customizable base for future scenarios. The anchors are positioned as production-ready units backed by UBTECH's manufacturing chain. Their launch underscores the symbolic value: news organizations are exploring physical AI interfaces as a complement to digital avatars and conventional broadcasting. The partners say the system can support on-site reporting, though broader editorial and operational rollout remains to be assessed.