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IN FOCUS
In today’s newsletter, we look at:
- Why AI livestreaming isn’t taking off in Indonesia just yet
- How vibe coding is powering Vietnam’s next breakout startups
- Meta’s big play for the digital advertising industry
Hi there,
Two years ago, GMA Network – one of the Philippines’ major broadcast companies – introduced the country’s first AI sportscasters. Named Maia and Marco, the two were intended to present sports commentary for a collegiate basketball league. It’s apparent from the press release that the folks at GMA were excited about what they considered a cutting-edge offering.
But Filipino viewers found them unappealing and raised concerns over the future of broadcast journalists in the country.
“This does not add anything to sports journalism. It really feels like a gimmick, and one that belittles the talent of so many sports journalists who are ready and willing to work with you,” says one commenter on GMA Network’s post about the AI hosts.
This week’s Big Story has shades of similarity. My colleague from Indonesia, Jofie, tackles how a TikTok Shop account that featured an AI host faced backlash from shoppers. Many users reported the shop’s content as “spam” and asked others to support accounts that feature human hosts.
Meanwhile, in Vietnam, investor Binh Tran narrates the emergence of startups specializing in “vibe coding” in his Insights piece. The practice enables developers to translate natural language prompts into functional code, which means that even a three-person startup now has the chance to raise funding and create a functional product, just like big developers.
There has been no resistance from investors or software developers on this phenomenon. Or should there be? I’ll let you decide for yourself.
THE BIG STORY
AI livestreaming a hard sell in Indonesia – for now
Image credit: Timmy Loen
AI hosts were meant to supplement livestreaming on ecommerce platforms. In Indonesia, they’re facing backlash, mounting costs, and resistance from anxious human streamers.
THE HOT TAKE
Meta’s next venture: AI-generated ads
DEEP READS
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