AI-generated radio presenter sparks controversy in Poland

WARSAW

A radio station in Poland faced a backlash on Wednesday after continuing its broadcasts with an AI-generated presenter following the dismissal of its journalists.

Radio station “OFF Radio Krakow” in Krakow, Poland, has resumed broadcasting weeks after laying off its journalists, using an AI project.

Broadcasts will continue with AI-generated presenters, the radio station said in a statement, adding: “In this experiment, where characters created by artificial intelligence are journalists, the objective is to explore whether this technology is a threat or an opportunity for radio.” , media and journalism.”

Mateusz Demski, former presenter of “OFF Radio Krakow”, launched a petition in response to the project.

Using AI-generated hosts at the station “would see machines replace experienced workers in the media industry,” Demski said in a statement.

The petition has already gathered more than 15 thousand signatures.

Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Digital Affairs Krzysztof Gawkowski, in a statement on X, said: “Although I am a fan of the development of AI, some boundaries are increasingly being crossed. AI must be used for people, not against them.”

Marcin Pulit, owner of the radio, stated that the journalists were not fired because of the AI ​​project, but because the number of listeners was “close to zero”.

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