Polish Radio Station Replaces Journalists With AI

A Polish radio station, OFF Radio Krakow, has replaced its journalists with Artificial Intelligence (AI)-generated presenters, sparking debate over the future of media and journalism.

The station, based in the southern city of Krakow, announced its relaunch this week as “the first experiment in Poland” where AI-driven virtual characters take on the roles of traditional journalists.

The station’s head, Marcin Pulit, framed the decision as a way to engage younger listeners on cultural, artistic, and social issues, including concerns of the LGBTQ+ community. “Is artificial intelligence more of an opportunity or a threat to media, radio, and journalism? We will seek answers to this question,” Pulit wrote in a statement.

However, the shift has stirred widespread criticism. Journalist and film critic Mateusz Demski, who previously hosted a show on the station, penned an open letter condemning the station’s decision to replace staff with AI. “It is a dangerous precedent that hits us all,” he wrote, warning that the move could pave the way for the displacement of experienced media professionals by machines. His letter quickly gained traction, with over 15,000 signatures on a petition by Wednesday morning, according to Demski. He also noted receiving calls from hundreds of concerned individuals, many of them young people unwilling to be part of such an experiment.

Demski, who had been with the station since February 2022 and was dismissed in August along with about a dozen other journalists, expressed particular shock given that the station is publicly funded. Despite the backlash, Pulit defended the decision, stating that the layoffs were not due to AI but rather the station’s dwindling listenership, which he claimed was “close to zero.”

The controversy even caught the attention of Krzysztof Gawkowski, Poland’s minister of digital affairs and deputy prime minister, who echoed concerns over the unchecked rise of AI in the media. “Although I am a fan of AI development, I believe that certain boundaries are being crossed more and more,” Gawkowski wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “The widespread use of AI must be done for people, not against them!”

The station added fuel to the fire on Tuesday when it broadcast an “interview” conducted by an AI-generated host mimicking the voice of Wisława Szymborska, the late Polish poet and Nobel Prize winner. The segment was met with mixed reactions, though Michał Rusinek, president of the Wisława Szymborska Foundation, which managed the poet’s legacy, told TVN that he had granted permission for the use of her name. He noted that Szymborska had a sense of humour and likely would have appreciated the gesture.

As the debate over AI in the media has intensified, OFF Radio Krakow’s experiment has placed a spotlight on the ethical and societal implications of automation in creative industries.