Hear it for the DJ: Basia becomes country’s first AI radio host
A radio station in Southern Poland has launched the first-ever show in the country hosted by an AI DJ.
Listeners of Radio Piekary, a station in the town of Piekary Sląskie in Silesia, were greeted by 'Basia', a virtual presenter generated by AI technology.
Addressing the audience last Saturday, she said: “You heard right, it's not a joke, I'm here for the first time today as an AI agent. Fascinating, isn’t it? What’s more, my debut coincides with World Brain Day! How symbolic.”
The DJ also demonstrated a sense of humour, asking listeners if anyone could donate a brain.
She also asked for their thoughts on having an AI digital creation as their host, encouraging them to participate through the radio’s Facebook page.
Earlier that day, a photo of how 'Basia' was supposed to look like was posted on the radio’s social media, receiving more than one hundred comments.
During the hour-long broadcast, she demonstrated her sense of humour.
The station called the show “an on-air experiment” and described it as some “summer fun”.
“Did you know that our brain is truly remarkable?” asked the host.
“It has infinite possibilities, although I - as artificial intelligence - could only learn about it from your experiences, because somehow they haven’t allocated me any brains,” she said, before joking: “Maybe someone can donate one?”
From now on, Basia will have a Saturday slot at the station and will explore various topics, answering questions prepared by AI.
The show comes at a time when concerns about AI’s impact on journalism have been voiced.
However, the music will still be curated by a human team rather than herself.
The program's editor-in-chief, Rafał Kurowski, shed light on Basia's work: “The program is an on-air experiment and some summer holiday fun, scheduled to run until the first Saturday in September,”
He continued: “The further fate of the format will depend on listener feedback.”
The station has promised that the jobs of its human DJs are safe.
As AI continues to advance and exhibit remarkable progress, concerns about its impact on journalism have been voiced.
Still, the editorial team at Radio Piekary remain confident that adopting an AI being as a presenter will not impact the station’s workforce.
“Even if artificial intelligence were to take up residence in our radio station for good, this will not affect our personnel policy. In other words: we will not be firing anyone to be replaced by AI,” said the station.
