Artificial intelligence continues to rapidly phase-out physical employees, the latest instance being an Oregon-based radio show becoming the world’s first to integrate an AI DJ into their rapporteur.
Live 95.5 in Portland recently announced they will be airing a cloned voice of their midday host Ashley Elzinga, dubbed “AI Ashley,” from 10 AM to 3 PM. The radio station is utilizing Futuri Media’s “RadioGPT,” an AI-powered software that uses GPT-4 to whip up a script based on trending news and reads it aloud with a faux voice.
The station and the real Ashley provided some examples of just how accurate sounding the AI cloning is, with Ashley seeming to almost be a tad bit disappointed but joked and said, “I guess I have the day off!” Another provided clip displays AI Ashley conducting a full and seamless, live conversation with a real caller who won a competition, though the astute ear can tell it’s artificial, and AI Ashley introduces itself as such.
Live 95.5 they are not replacing “traditional Ashley” (yet), parent company Alpha Media told Tech Crunch in a statement.
It’s a hybrid situation where we’ll have traditional Ashley on during some segments, and we’ll have AI Ashley on during other segments.
In an instance where AI Ashley would be broadcasting, the traditional Ashley might be doing something in the community, managing social posts or working on digital assets or the other elements that come with the job.
One of the absolute most important parts of this is that we’re transparent with the listener. It’s not our intent to ever deceive anybody.
Phil Becker, Alpha Media EVP of Content, told the tech outlet
SEE: Grammy Awards Will Now Allow AI Music To Win, But Only If A Physical Contributor Helped
Becker also claims that Alpha Media is not using RadioGPT to cut costs, but rather to be an efficient tool for radio hosts to have in their toolchest.
Before the AI content airs, staff still check over the audio to make sure its accurate lest the AI say something wild or false. “You’ll still have to have the original content creators touching it, checking it, proving it, all of those sorts of things,” Becker added.
Many on Twitter reacted with disappointment and shame to Live 95.5’s announcement, some saying they are making history for all the wrong reasons and is further helping to cull what remains of the radio industry, while others fear this is another sign of a broader sweep of AI replacing so many jobs rapidly.
‘Alpha Media’s KUFO Freedom 970, another Portland-based radio station, will also be using the AI tech,’ Tech Crunch confirmed. The company oversees above 200 stations in the States. Futuri Media is partnered with Rogers Sports & Media, which owns 55 stations and over 29 podcasts in Canada.
SEE: Popular German Paper Bild To Replace Editing Staff With Artificial Intelligence
AUTHOR COMMENTARY
It’s official: AI killed the radio star. The lyrics to that song ring even more true now than ever:
They took the credit for your second symphony
Rewritten by machine on new technology
And now I understand the problems you could see[…]
In my mind and in my car
We can’t rewind, we’ve gone too far
Indeed, we’ve gone too far and far too many people are on board.
The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason.
Proverbs 26:16
The company CEO is lying: this IS about money and cutting costs. Sure, the real Ashley might be on staff for now, but we know her days are numbered; I mean, you can even see it in her face when she filmed that video for Twitter. She knows.
Radio is dead. It really started with MTV in the 90s, and then the internet and filesharing utterly destroyed the record industry as a whole, and now podcasts and streaming and ad-free services, including Sirius XM, really hurt the industry. Now newer models of cars are not even installing AM radio, The Washington Post reported not long ago.
In a few more years the radio business will be dead and gone.
[7] Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? [8] Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? [9] For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? [10] Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. (1 Corinthians 9:7-10).
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