WARSAW, Poland –
A Polish radio station has triggered controversy after dismissing its journalists and relaunching this week with AI-generated “presenters.”
Weeks after letting its journalists go, OFF Radio Krakow relaunched this week, with what it said was “the first experiment in Poland in which journalists … are virtual characters created by AI.”
The station in the southern city of Krakow said its three avatars are designed to reach younger listeners by speaking about cultural, art and social issues including the concerns of LGBTQ+ people.
“Is artificial intelligence more of an opportunity or a threat to media, radio and journalism? We will seek answers to this question,” the station head, Marcin Pulit, wrote in a statement.
The change got nationwide attention after Mateusz Demski, a journalist and film critic who until recently hosted a show on the station, published an open letter Tuesday protesting “the replacement of employees with artificial intelligence.”
“It is …