OFF Radio Krakow, a Polish radio station, has stirred up a storm of debate by relaunching with AI-generated “presenters” in place of human journalists.
Aiming to attract younger audiences with AI avatars discussing cultural and social topics, the station’s experiment is touted as Poland’s first of its kind in broadcast AI. However, the move has sparked backlash, especially from journalists and industry veterans who see it as a risky precedent that could ultimately diminish job opportunities for human creatives.
Mateusz Demski, a former host on the station and a well-known film critic, voiced his opposition in an open letter this week. Demski, who was let go in August, warned that relying on AI presenters could lead to “a world in which experienced employees associated with the media sector for years and people employed in creative industries will be replaced by machines.”
His letter, which has since garnered over 15,000 signatures, has resonated with many who worry about the broader implications of AI taking over traditionally human roles in journalism and other creative sectors.
OFF Radio Krakow’s head, Marcin Pulit, defended the initiative, emphasizing that the station is conducting a trial rather than a full replacement of human journalists.
Pulit clarified on the station’s website that the journalists weren’t fired but were instead contractors whose agreements simply ended in August. His comments, however, have done little to quell concerns about AI’s encroachment into media roles.
Poland’s digital affairs minister, Krzysztof Gawkowski, has also joined the conversation, advocating for regulations that safeguard jobs while integrating AI responsibly. Gawkowski emphasized the need to ensure AI serves society without fully displacing human workers, especially in industries requiring creativity and ethical judgment.
Adding fuel to the debate, the station’s AI presenters recently conducted an “interview” with a simulated version of the late Wisława Szymborska, a Nobel Prize-winning poet who passed away in 2012.
This demonstration of AI resurrecting historic figures has drawn additional scrutiny, raising ethical questions about recreating voices and personalities posthumously.
