‘Continuation was pointless’ according to station
AI-created “journalism student” Emi was created as an on-air pop culture expert for OFF Radio Kraków. (Image courtesy OFF Radio Kraków)
OFF Radio Kraków presenters Jakub “Kuba” Zieliński, Emilia “Emi” Nowak, and Alex Szulc had a good week-long run, but now they are off the air.
The three AI-generated presenters went on air as part of what station management described as an experiment — and they were greeted with a massive backlash.
“We assumed that this project would last a maximum of three months. However, after a week, we had collected so many observations, opinions, and conclusions that we decided that its continuation was pointless,” wrote OFF Radio Kraków Editor-in-Chief Marcin Pulit.
By the time the experiment was halted, more than 23,000 people had signed a petition calling for broadcast regulators and media ethics officials to intervene.
[Related: “Bavaria Approves All AI DAB+ Station”]
Pulit characterized the use of AI as presenters and station programmers as an effort to provoke discussion about the threats and opportunities of the technology; however, he stated they were “surprised by the level of emotion that accompanied the experiment.”
Mateusz Demski, a former presenter on the station and originator of the petition, writing on Facebook, disputed that anything was learned about AI in the experiment.
“The experiment was carried out irresponsibly. This is an anti-example of how to work with AI. Lack of methodology, lack of voices and names from scientific environments, which should have coordinated a similar project from the beginning from the point of view,” he wrote.
The AI experiment drew additional criticism because the station had let go the station’s contracted presenters, including Demski, several weeks earlier. The station, along with Poland’s other regional broadcasters, have spent most of 2024 under court-ordered liquidation as part of a struggle between broadcasters and different factions within the Polish government.
Pulit ended his statement with a look toward the future of broadcasting and AI technology: “AI is and will be increasingly present in our lives. In the coming years, Poland will have to develop legal standards that define the use of artificial intelligence. Our experiment showed how many issues require regulation, and our radio experiences can be used during work on the act.”
