Fiona Bruce was seen introducing AI-generated guests at the beginning of Thursday night’s Question Time BBC
The BBC’s Question Time programme has raised eyebrows over scenes depicting Fiona Bruce sitting among historical figures recreated with generative AI technology.
On Thursday night, Question Time aired an artificial intelligence special, which opened with Fiona introducing her guests for the evening, including AI-generated images of former prime minister Winston Churchill and pioneering artist Frida Kahlo.
AI renderings of Emmeline Pankhurst and Mahatma Gandhi were also included (a Radio Times article previewing the special also featured Che Guevara on this line-up, though this was ultimately not part of the broadcast).
Before the episode aired, a clip of the scene in question was posted on Question Time’s social media accounts, and was quickly met with backlash from viewers who took issue with the BBC for a variety of reasons, not least the ethical questions about recreating dead people’s likeness using AI and the technology’s impact on the environment.
During the actual broadcast, Fiona Bruce was quick to point out that the opening scene was actually a stunt to highlight the capabilities of generative AI.
“That really would be something, wouldn’t it? If that was our actual panel. Of course, it’s not. It’s AI generated, and just gives us a tiny insight into the use of this technology,” she told viewers, before introducing the previously-announced “human panel” of experts from the world of tech.
However, even before people were made aware of Question Time’s AI-generated opening skit, many had still taken issue with its “AI special”, which they claimed didn’t represent a balanced view of the contentious tech, due to the fact that everyone involved was seemingly in favour of it.
A BBC spokesperson told HuffPost UK: “This week’s panel explored the opportunities, risks and moral dilemmas posed by artificial intelligence, with a range of views represented.
“Both our panelists and audience members raised a range of issues around the use of AI including the opening question on its impact on the job market, as well as its effects on mental health, data and image theft, and the environment.”
Last year, Channel 4’s Dispatches programme faced a similar backlash when it aired a special episode about AI, which was later revealed to have been fronted by a “host” generated entirely with artificial intelligence technology.
Channel 4’s head of news and current affairs said at the time: “This stunt does serve as a useful reminder of just how disruptive AI has the potential to be – and how easy it is to hoodwink audiences with content they have no way of verifying.”