Australian radio station used AI-generated DJ for months before being discovered

An Australian radio station is facing criticisms over the use of an AI-generated DJ. According to reports, one of the station’s popular on-air hosts, Thy, who hosts the daily “Workdays with Thy” show was developed using technology from ElevenLabs.

A report from The Sydney Morning Herald revealed that Australian Radio Network’s (ARN) Sydney-based CADA station, which broadcasts across western Sydney and can be accessed online, had created and used the AI host for months. The report said the station had been using the AI-generated host for about six months without disclosing it.

The artificial host is always on air at 11 am each weekday, presenting four hours of hip-hop to the station’s listeners. “Every weekday from 11 am-3 pm while you are at work, driving around, doing the commute on public transport or at uni, Thy will be playing you the hottest tracks from around the world,” the Workdays with Thy show notes said. However, at no point, during the show or on the website, was the use of AI disclosed.

Australian radio station uses AI-generated DJ in its program

The station mentioned that the show’s music is curated by a list of music experts, even though the voice and likeness of the AI is based on an actual ARN media employee. After initial questions from several quarters, it was revealed that the station used ElevenLabs, a generative AI audio platform that transcribes text into speech, to create Thy.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) have said there were no specific restrictions in the use of AI in broadcast content and that there is no law demanding its disclosure. However, according to an ARN spokesperson, the company was using the technology to explore how new technology can enhance listener experience.

“We’ve been trialing AI audio tools on CADA, using the voice of Thy, an ARN team member. This is a space being explored by broadcasters globally, and the trial has offered valuable insights,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson also added that the move has also reinforced the power of real personalities in driving compelling content. According to the Australian Financial Review, the show has been broadcasted on CADA since November and has reportedly reached 72,000 people in last month’s ratings.

The general public drums the need for regulated AI use

The revelation has sparked conversations across the Australian social media space, with some commentators backing the move as an act of brilliance, while others do not share the same thoughts. Vice president of the Australian Association of Voice Actors, Teresa Lim also waded into the discussion, noting that CADA’s failure to disclose the use of AI shows that it is necessary to build a regulation around the technology.

“AI can be such a powerful and positive tool in broadcasting if there are correct safeguards in place,” Lim said. “Authenticity and truth are so important for broadcast media. The public deserves to know what the source is of what’s being broadcast … We need to have these discussions now before AI becomes so advanced that it’s too difficult to regulate.”

Lim also added that the development also shows how hard it is for her demographic, as an Asian, to break into Australian media.

CADA is not the first radio station to use an AI-generated host. In 2023, Australian digital radio company Disrupt Radio introduced its AI newsreader, Debbie Disrupt. However, the company disclosed from the beginning that she was not a real person. In the same year, an Oregon station in the United States also used an AI host, basing the person on a real presenter. Meanwhile, an ACMA spokesperson has said that policies are still being looked into in Australia to ensure safe and responsible use of AI technology.

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