Polish broadcaster OFF Radio Krakow replaces humans with AI presenters

OFF Radio Krakow, a Polish radio station has stirred controversy after relaunching this week with AI-generated broadcasters taking over from human journalists.

At its relaunch, the radio station said it was conducting the first experiment with virtual journalists, leaving human journalists as excess resources, sparking controversy on the market. The move has renewed debates around the common fears over AI replacing humans on the job market.

OFF Radio Krakow names and assigns the AI-generated presenters

According to a CNN article, the state-owned broadcaster said its programs will be presented by three AI-generated characters, who will have different personalities, look different on AI-generated images, and have different interests.

Jakub ‘Kuba’ Zielinski, a 22-year-old student majoring in acoustic engineering, will examine technological solutions and the field of sound production.

Dealing with trends in the world of cinema, music, and fashion, Emilia ‘Emi’ Nowak is a 20-year-old AI-generated presenter who is a journalism student and pop culture expert.

Alex Szulc is the AI-generated character that is to lead discussions on identity, queer culture, and the influence of media on society.

The state-owned station said its goal with the three characters is to have Generation Z representatives, which is a demographic cohort born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s.

“The experiment taken by this radio will answer if artificial intelligence is an opportunity, a threat to media, radio or journalism.”

OFF Radio Krakow station head, Marcin Pulit.

The broadcaster, in the Southern city of Krakow revealed that this initiative is meant to reach younger listeners by engaging in subjects around cultural, art, and social issues including the concerns of the LGBTQ+ audiences.

Experts criticize OFF Radio Krakow

After the relaunch, journalist, and film critic, Mateusz Demski who until recently used to host a show at the state-owned station brought the issue to the whole of Poland after an open letter published Tuesday. The letter was a protest against the replacement of employees by AI-generated presenters.

“This is a very dangerous precedent that has come to us all, and this can open the way to a world where experienced and well-trained employees in the media sector will be replaced by machines as well as those employed in the creative industry.”

Demski.

Minister of Digital Affairs in Poland, Krzysztof Gawkowski took to X platform on Tuesday to comment on the hotly contested issue saying despite his support for AI development, there are some boundaries that should be respected.

“Artificial intelligence cannot cause social differences or exclusion. The symbiosis of AI and humans must be well regulated,” said the minister on X platform as he also advocated for regulation

“And most importantly! The widespread use of AI must be done for people, not against them.”

Gawkoski.

The state-owned station aired an interview conducted by an AI-generated radio presenter and a voice mimicking Wislawa Szymborska the late Polish Nobel Prize-winning poet on Tuesday.

“Wislawa had a lot of humor, and if alive would have appreciated the stunt,” Michal Rusinek, president of the Wislawa Szymborska Foundation said in an interview with TVN.

Przeczytałem historię Mateusza Demskiego związaną z zastępowaniem dziennikarzy przez sztuczną inteligencję w OFF Radio Kraków i choć jestem fanem rozwoju AI to uważam, że pewne granice są coraz bardziej przekraczane.

Sztuczna inteligencja nie może powodować różnic społecznych…

— Krzysztof Gawkowski (@KGawkowski) October 22, 2024

Stakeholders worry over job cuts

The development at the broadcaster ignited debate over the role of AI, and the possible risks it poses especially on the employment side.

Last year, investment bank Goldman Sachs indicated in a report that AI could replace as many as 300 million full-time jobs globally. The report indicated that the impact of AI would differ across sectors with at least 46% of administrative tasks and 44% of legal tasks expected to be automated.

As a result of the open letter protesting the move for AI-generated presenters, more than 15,000 people signed the petition by Wednesday morning to reverse the experiment. Demski claimed that he also received calls from hundreds of people. The majority of the callers were young people who believed the experiment would also affect their employment in the future.

However, the OFF Radio Krakow station head said the company had not laid off any of its staff because of the AI experiment but because its listenership was now close to zero and programming needed to be reorganized.

The state-owned broadcaster is not the first to implement the use of AI presenters as media houses also embrace the technology on the back of its transformative abilities. Last year a Kuwait news agency introduced an AI news presenter and was planning on giving her night slots for presenting online and on social media pages like X.

A Chinese state-owned agency also introduced its virtual news reader in 2018.

One of the reasons why virtual presenters are gaining popularity is because, unlike humans who get tired, AI presenters do not get sleepy and tired.