A radio station in Poland has fired its main journalists and started broadcasting with AI-generated presenters. The station’s decision has sparked controversy across the country.
A radio station in Poland has replaced its broadcast staff with AI. The station’s editor-in-chief described the move as an experiment in the effects of AI on society. Krakow-based OFF Radio announced earlier this week that it was “the first experiment in Poland where presenters are generated by AI.”
TARGET AUDIENCE: YOUNG LISTENERS The station said the AI presenters are aiming to reach young listeners, broadcasting on cultural, artistic and social topics. The new programs, presented by a trio of Gen Z AI speakers called “Emi, Kuba and Alex,” have made a splash across the country.
According to the station’s statement, each of the AI presenters has their own biographies and personalities created “by journalists.”
OPPORTUNITY OR THREAT? “Is AI an opportunity or a threat for media, radio and journalism? That’s the question we’ll be looking into,” said Marcin Pulit, the station’s director. However, this change, said Mateusz Demski, a journalist and film critic who previously hosted a program on the station, said that more than 15,000 people signed and that hundreds of people, especially young people, responded that they did not want to be subject to this experiment. Pulit, the station’s manager, claimed that journalists were not laid off because of artificial intelligence, but that they took this step because the number of listeners was almost zero.
