Many of us trust the friendly voices we hear on the radio to keep us company during the day. But what if the host you’ve been listening to wasn’t who you thought they were? A popular radio station is under fire after it was revealed that an artificial intelligence-generated host had been presenting a daily show for six months without listeners’ knowledge.
The station, CADA, in Sydney, Australia, used a virtual host named Thy, created with ElevenLabs voice-cloning software. Thy hosted a show called “Workdays with Thy,” which aired four hours each weekday, playing music and introducing songs. The show’s website promoted Thy as a music expert, but gave no personal details about her.
Listeners were unaware that Thy was not a real person. The secret came to light when Sydney-based writer Stephanie Coombes questioned Thy’s identity in a blog post, pointing out the lack of any biography or background information.
Following these questions, the station’s owner, ARN Media, confirmed that Thy was an AI-generated host, with her voice and likeness based on a real employee from the company’s finance department. ARN Media said the trial was part of an experiment to explore AI in broadcasting and admitted it provided valuable insights, especially about the importance of real personalities in radio.
The incident has sparked debate about transparency in media. Teresa Lim, vice-president of the Australian Association of Voice Actors, criticized the station for not disclosing the use of AI, stressing that authenticity and honesty are crucial in broadcasting.
The controversy has raised important questions about the use of artificial intelligence in radio and the need for broadcasters to be open with their audiences.
They didn’t fool anyone . It’s simple that no one cares about something so irrelevant.
Radio stations aren’t even listened to anymore