A Polish radio station has sparked debate following the termination of its journalists and introduced AI-generated “presenters” this week.
According to the Associated Press (AP), after parting ways with its staff, OFF Radio Krakow reemerged, claiming to conduct “the first experiment in Poland where journalists are represented by virtual characters created by AI.”
Located in the southern city of Krakow, the station stated its three avtatars aim to engage younger audiences by discussing cultural, artistic, and social topics, including issues relevant to the LGBTQ+ community.
The station head, Marcin Pulit, in his statement stated that they will explore whether artificial intelligence presents more of an opportunity or a threat to media, radio, and journalism.
The shift garnered national attention following the publication of an open letter by Mateusz Demski, a journalist and film critic who until recently hosted a program on the station.
In his letter, he expressed his opposition to the replacement of employees with AI, expressing concern that this sets a perilous precedent affecting everyone, suggesting it could lead to a future where seasoned professionals in the media and creative industries are supplanted by machines.
He said over 15,000 individuals had signed the petition in protest of the move.
Demski was employed at OFF Radio Krakow from February 2022, where he conducted interviews with Ukrainians fleeing the war, until August, when he was one of approximately a dozen journalists who were dismissed.
He expressed that the decision was particularly surprising given that the broadcaster is a public station funded by taxpayers.
However, Pulit (station manager) maintained that no journalists were terminated due to AI, but rather because the station’s audience was “close to zero.”
Krzysztof Gawkowski, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Affairs, confirmed having reviewed Demski’s appeal and emphasized the necessity for legislation to govern AI.
“Although I am a fan of AI development, I believe that certain boundaries are being crossed more and more,” he wrote on X. “The widespread use of AI must be done for people, not against them!,” he noted.
On October 22, 2024, the station is said to have aired an “interview” featuring an AI-generated host mimicking the voice of Wisława Szymborska, the renowned Polish poet and Nobel Prize laureate who passed away in 2012.
Michał Rusinek, president of the Wisława Szymborska Foundation, which manages the poet’s legacy, informed broadcaster TVN that he permitted the use of Szymborska’s name for the segment.
He remarked that the poet had a playful sense of humor and would have appreciated the initiative
