A local Hawaiian newspaper, The Garden Island, discontinued its AI-generated news broadcast program after a two-month trial period, reports Guthrie Scrimgeour. The program, which featured AI presenters James and Rose created by Israeli firm Caledo, was the first of its kind in the United States. The virtual anchors struggled with pronunciation, displayed unnatural behavior, and received widespread negative public response. Despite Caledo’s claims of success, the program failed to generate advertising revenue, with its only sponsor, Longs Drugs, stating they hadn’t approved their logo usage. The newspaper, which serves an island of 73,000 people and operates with limited staff, invested in this technology while facing resource constraints under its parent company Oahu Publications.