Artificial intelligence has ventured into television programming with its own dedicated channel on the popular streaming platform, Roku Channel. Fairground AI Creator TV, offering round-the-clock AI-generated content for free, quietly joined Roku’s lineup without an official announcement from the platform. However, the inclusion was first reported by Cord Cutters News.
Despite the launch, the channel faced criticism online, with some viewers expressing discontent about the continuous stream of AI-generated content. Frank Landymore from Futurism described it as “an unending conveyor belt of AI slop,” and Bradly Shankar from MobileSyrup shared similar sentiments.
Fairground AI operates as a FAST (Free Ad-supported Streaming Television) channel. Although there are approximately 200 FAST channels on the Roku Channel in Canada, Fairground AI is not currently available in the country, and there is no confirmation on its future availability.
Roku, a leading streaming company globally, was acquired by Fox in a landmark $22 billion deal in June, granting access to over 100 million households worldwide. The introduction of the AI channel aligns with the growing trend of AI-generated content, witnessed across various industries like film festivals and toy companies.
Colin Petrie-Norris, the CEO of Fairground AI, anticipates a similar evolution to YouTube for the AI creators on the channel. He highlighted the interest from multiple streaming platforms in AI-generated content.
Fenwick McKelvey, a professor at Concordia University, expressed his views on the adoption of AI channels by streaming platforms, emphasizing the need to understand viewers’ preferences and behaviors. The move towards AI-generated content raises questions about copyright laws and privacy concerns, reflecting broader challenges in the adoption of AI technologies.
The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television, and Radio Artists has advocated against replacing human performers with AI, calling for more regulations in the AI industry. McKelvey emphasized the need to address fundamental issues related to artist compensation and cultural funding amidst the growing influence of AI in entertainment.