Ray Martin will be confronted by an artificial intelligence version of himself in a new SBS documentary exploring how the technology could reshape journalism and the public’s understanding of truth.
Ray Martin is Misinformed was unveiled as part of SBS’s 2027 programming slate at the broadcaster’s annual upfront presentation in Sydney on Tuesday, 1 September 2026.
The three-part series will create “Ray-I”, an AI model trained to reproduce the veteran journalist’s voice, mannerisms and delivery. Joseph Maxwell, SBS’s head of factual, said the programme would show the digital version becoming increasingly convincing.
“By the end of the show you cannot tell who’s Ray and who’s Ray-I,” Maxwell said.
He said the experiment was unsettling for Martin, particularly as the model began to imitate his pauses, tone and sense of playfulness.
But the documentary will go beyond demonstrating what the technology can do. Martin’s career has been built around journalism, and the programme will examine the implications of synthetic media for reporting, credibility and the distinction between fact and fabrication.
“Ray-I in some ways represents that threat. But in some ways it represents a solution, too,” Maxwell said.
SBS announces 2030 World Cup rights
The programming announcement was accompanied by confirmation that SBS had secured the exclusive Australian television, video and radio rights to the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
The tournament will be centred on Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with its opening three matches also taking place in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay to mark the competition’s centenary. All 104 matches will be available live and free to Australian audiences across SBS platforms. ([sbs.com.au](https://www.sbs.com.au/aboutus/2026/09/01/sbs-secures-exclusive-rights-to-fifa-world-cup-2030/?utm_source=openai))
SBS managing director Jane Palfreyman said the broadcaster’s partnership with football stretched back to 1986 and described the World Cup as an event capable of bringing together Australia’s many communities.
The deal follows SBS’s coverage of the 2026 tournament, which the broadcaster said reached more than 18 million Australians and generated more than 209 million hours of viewing across television and digital platforms. ([sbs.com.au](https://www.sbs.com.au/aboutus/2026/09/01/sbs-secures-exclusive-rights-to-fifa-world-cup-2030/?utm_source=openai))
The wider 2027 factual slate includes Bondi, a reconstruction of the events of 14 December 2025 told by people who witnessed them, and 2.6 Seconds, a four-part examination of the fatal shooting of Kumanjayi Walker by Northern Territory police officer Zachary Rolfe in 2019.
Samuel Johnson will present Homeless 300, named after the number of Australians SBS says are turned away from homeless shelters each night. The series will investigate the causes of homelessness while also focusing on possible solutions.
The fourth season of Alone Australia will return to the Arctic Circle, where contestants will face an earlier onset of severe winter conditions. For the first time, they will be allowed to hunt some animals, although reindeer will be excluded.
SBS also announced a documentary in which Marc Fennell revisits the 1978 Hilton bombing and speaks to Evan Pederick, who confessed to the attack and was imprisoned before his evidence was later judged unreliable.
The broadcaster’s locally produced scripted offering is comparatively small, with three new Digital Originals: the adventure drama Mangrove Mansion, the supernatural First Nations story Pretty Deadly and the social-media comedy Tantrum.
International additions include the espionage drama Legacy of Spies, starring Matthew Macfadyen, Charlie Hunnam and Hugh Laurie, along with new seasons of Blue Lights, Rogue Heroes and The Audacity.
