We warned you that robots were coming for our jobs, but while the likes of admin assistants, customer service workers, and journalists braced for layoffs, was anyone really expecting radio DJs to be a casualty of the great AI wars?
Job security is an increasing concern as we're told that AI could soon replace us, and unless you're a frontline medic or President of the United States, you might not be safe. The likes of The Simpsons' Hank Azaria and Mass Effect's Jennifer Hale are among the voice actors concerned that they could eventually be out of a job, but in a bizarre turn of events, an Australia-based radio company has come under fire for sneaking in an AI-generated host under our noses...for six months.
Australian Radio Network’s CADA station is known for its broadcasts in Sydney and the iHeartRadio app, but something sounded a little off when a new host called Thy came onto the scene. Hosting for four hours of hop-hop a day, Monday to Friday, the show's promo material mentioned nothing about Thy being AI and simply stated: "If your day is looking a bit bleh, let Thy and CADA be the energy and vibe to get your mood lifted."
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Sydney-based writer Stephanie Coombes sussed something was up and wrote in a blog post: "I got an interesting tipoff the other day that Sydney radio station CADA is using an AI avatar instead of an actual radio host...
"What is Thy’s last name? Who is she? Where did she come from? There is no biography, or further information about the woman who is supposedly presenting this show."
As reported by The Sydney Morning Herald, CADA had to come clean and revealed that Thy was created using software from voice cloning company, ElevenLabs.
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ARN project leader Fayed Tohme posted a now-deleted LinkedIn post confirming that Thy 'sounds real' and has real fans, even though she isn't real herself.
While ARN has come under fire, the Australian Communications and Media Authority reiterates that there aren't currently any restrictions on the use of AI when broadcasting, nor are there any obligations to disclose if it's being used.
An ARN spokesperson said: "We’ve been trialling AI audio tools on CADA, using the voice of Thy, an ARN team member. This is a space being explored by broadcasters globally, and the trial has offered valuable insights."
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They said the trial has "reinforced the power of real personalities in driving compelling content."
This isn't good enough for Vice president of the Australian Association of Voice Actors, Teresa Lim, who said CADA failing to inform listeners about Thy's AI credentials shows how the Australian Communications and Media Authority needs ot update its guidelines: "AI can be such a powerful and positive tool in broadcasting if there are correct safeguards in place. Authenticity and truth are so important for broadcast media.
“The public deserves to know what the source is of what’s being broadcast … We need to have these discussions now before AI becomes so advanced that it’s too difficult to regulate."
Lim also complained that, as an Asian woman working in the media, it highlighted a bigger problem: "When we found out she was just a cardboard cut-out, it cemented the disappointment. There are a limited number of Asian-Australian female presenters who are available for the job, so just give it to one of them. Don’t take that opportunity away from a minority group who’s already struggling."