Poland Radio Station Replaces Journalists with AI Presenters

Warsaw: A Polish radio station has stirred up significant controversy after it dismissed its journalists and relaunched this week with AI-generated “presenters.” This change comes weeks after OFF Radio Krakow let go of its staff, marking what they claim to be a pioneering experiment in Poland involving virtual characters created by artificial intelligence.

The radio station, located in the southern city of Krakow, introduced three AI avatars aimed at connecting with younger audiences by discussing cultural, artistic, and social topics, including issues relevant to the LGBTQ+ community.

Marcin Pulit, the head of the station, posed a critical question regarding the impact of artificial intelligence on media, asking if it represents more of an opportunity or a threat to journalism. "We will seek answers to this question," Pulit wrote in his statement.

This transformation gained national attention after Mateusz Demski, a journalist and film critic who previously hosted a show at the station, released an open letter on Tuesday protesting the replacement of human employees with AI technology. He expressed concern over the implications of this move, writing, "It is a dangerous precedent that hits us all," and warned that it could pave the way for experienced media professionals and creative workers to be replaced by machines.

Demski's petition against the replacement had more than 15,000 signatures by Wednesday morning. He reported receiving calls from numerous individuals, primarily young people, who opposed being subjects of such an experiment.

Having worked at OFF Radio Krakow since February 2022, where he conducted interviews with Ukrainians fleeing the war, Demski was among about a dozen journalists who were released from their positions in August. He found the news particularly shocking since OFF Radio Krakow is a publicly funded station.

In response, Pulit emphasized that the decision to let go of journalists was not due to the introduction of AI, but rather because the station's audience was nearly nonexistent.

On the day of the relaunch, the station aired an interview conducted by an AI-generated presenter, using a voice imitating the famous Polish poet Wislawa Szymborska, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature and passed away in 2012.

Krzysztof Gawkowski, Poland's minister of digital affairs and a deputy prime minister, commented on the situation, stating he had reviewed Demski's letter and emphasized the need for regulations surrounding AI. He remarked, "Although I am a fan of AI development, I believe that certain boundaries are being crossed more and more. The widespread use of AI must be done for people, not against them!"

radio, journalism, AI