WARSAW, Poland — A Polish radio station announced on Monday that it will not continue an “experiment” that utilized AI-generated presenters instead of human journalists, which had ignited significant public backlash.
OFF Radio Krakow had recently dismissed its journalist staff and reintroduced itself with virtual avatars in place of live presenters. The station aimed to attract a younger audience by discussing cultural themes, social issues, and matters pertinent to the LGBTQ+ community.
However, across Poland, the decision to replace human journalists with AI elicited widespread criticism, with many expressing concerns over the potential impact of technology on employment in the media sector.
Marcin Pulit, the editor of the station, released a statement indicating that the purpose of the initiative was to ignite dialogue surrounding the implications of artificial intelligence. He noted that although the project was designed to run for three months, the station had gathered ample feedback and insights within just a week. Pulit concluded that there was no rationale for continuing the project any further.
He remarked, “After a week, we had collected so many observations, opinions, and conclusions that we decided that its continuation was pointless.” Furthermore, Pulit acknowledged the intense emotional reactions to the experiment, attributing allegations of insidious intentions and actions to misunderstandings and erroneous reports.
The station gained heightened attention after a petition spearheaded by Mateusz Demski, a journalist and former host at the station, garnered over 23,000 signatures. In his open letter urging the station to abandon the AI presenters, Demski warned against the dangerous precedent set by such a decision, stating it could lead to the replacement of seasoned professionals in the media and creative fields with machines.
Prior to discontinuing the AI venture, the station conducted an “interview” with an AI-generated version of the late Polish Nobel Prize-winning poet Wis?awa Szymborska. The plans for future segments included a similar interview with historical figure Józef Pi?sudski, who passed away in 1935.
The swift conclusion of this experiment reflects a broader unease regarding the potential ramifications of artificial intelligence on traditional journalism and the integrity of human employment in media.
