Latest news with #WorkdayswithThy
Global News
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Global News
Radio station faces backlash after listeners duped by AI host for 6 months
An Australian radio station is facing backlash from listeners after it revealed that an artificial intelligence-generated host had been hosting a show for six months. The virtual host named Thy was created by ElevenLabs, which is a voice-cloning AI software used by Australian Radio Network (ARN) station CADA. The Sydney-based radio station had Thy hosting a show called Workdays with Thy that aired four hours a day from Monday to Friday, where she would play music and introduce songs. The show's website promoted the show, writing, 'Curated by our music experts, these are the songs that are charting or on the cusp of blowing up — hear it first with Thy so you can boast to your friends and say you were all over it first.' The station didn't let its listeners know that Thy was not a real person. Its secret was revealed after Sydney-based writer Stephanie Coombes started asking about Thy's identity in a blog post. Story continues below advertisement Coombes asked, 'What's Thy's last name? Who is she? Where did she come from?' 'There is no biography, or further information about the woman who is supposedly presenting this show,' Coombes added. This led to the radio station's owner, ARN Media, confirming to the Australian Financial Review that while Thy is AI-generated, her voice and likeness are modelled after an actual employee in the company's financial department. 'We've been trialing AI audio tools on CADA, using the voice of Thy, an ARN team member,' a spokesperson for ARN said in a statement. 'This is a space being explored by broadcasters globally, and the trial has offered valuable insights.' The spokesperson also said the trial highlighted 'the power of real personalities in driving compelling content.' Story continues below advertisement Teresa Lim, vice-president of the Australian Association of Voice Actors, called out CADA's failure to disclose its use of AI in a LinkedIn post. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'AI can be such a powerful and positive tool in broadcasting if there are correct safeguards in place,' she wrote. '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 referenced being an Asian woman working in Australian media and how it can be difficult for her demographic to break into the broadcasting industry. 'As an Asian-Australian female HUMAN voice actor and presenter in the radio and advertising industry, I find this industry-first move offensive on various levels,' Lim wrote. 'When we found out she was just a cardboard cut-out, it cemented the disappointment. There are a limited number of Asian-Australian female presenters who are available for the job, so just give it to one of them. Don't take that opportunity away from a minority group who's already struggling,' she added. Lim suggested that the way forward to work with AI in radio broadcasting is by creating 'explicit AI labelling laws to precent this level of deception.' 'We need transparency in the use and creation of AI material. The Australian public deserve to be able to trust what we hear on-air,' she added. Story continues below advertisement Many listeners took to social media to discuss the importance of disclosing this information after it was revealed that Thy was an AI personality. ICYMI the creation of "Thy" as an unlabelled AI generated radio host of a daily 4 hour hiphop show by CADA is a disturbing attack on the arts and radio. Why on earth are we letting AI do roles that many young (and not so young!) people would be so keen to do!? — David Shoebridge (@DavidShoebridge) April 24, 2025 🧐 "Did you tune into Aussie radio station CADA's DJ Thy? Surprise, you've been listening to an AI! For months, AI has been spinning tracks and no one noticed. Let's discuss the implications of AI in our day-to-day lives. How does this reflect on future of AI and its potential in — Afritab (@Afritab) April 27, 2025 Story continues below advertisement The backlash against CADA's AI DJ, Thy, raises important questions about transparency in AI deployment. Ignoring to disclose that an on-air host is an AI can impact listener trust. As AI continues to become integral in creative fields, ethical considerations surrounding… — Gaal (@Gaal_ai) April 26, 2025 A famous Australian radio station CADA secretly used an #AI voice, created by ElevenLabs, for six months without listeners noticing it wasn't human! The AI host, based on a real employee, ran a 4-hour daily music segment reaching over 72,000 listeners. — Hossam Fatnassi (@hsmftn) April 27, 2025 Story continues below advertisement AI has come under increasing criticism in recent months, particularly after artists were forced to warn fans of 'fake' songs spreading online that use AI to mimic their voices. Most recently, Celine Dion's representatives posted a statement on her Instagram saying that songs purporting to be a replicated version of Dion are 'not approved and are not songs from her official discography.' They said the recordings have appeared on various digital platforms. While Dion's camp did not reference the songs by name, several fake recordings have popped up on YouTube credited as an AI model of the singer's voice. Story continues below advertisement One is a cover of the gospel song Heal Me Lord, which has amassed more than one million views, while versions of a fake Dion have been used for several duets, including one of I Will Always Love You with Whitney Houston and See You Again with Charlie Puth. — With files from The Canadian Press
Scottish Sun
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Radio listeners are duped by secret AI clone host who presented 4hrs-a-day for SIX MONTHS – would YOU have spotted it?
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FURIOUS radio listeners have slammed an AI-generated clone host who presented live on air four hours a day for half a year. Artificial intelligence robo-host "Thy" broadcast her show on Australian Radio Network's CADA station for six months before being called out. 3 AI-generated radio host Thy presented music on Australian Radio Network's CADA station on the iHeartRadio app Credit: CADA 3 Workdays with Thy broadcast on ARN's CADA station four hours a day from Monday to Friday 3 The robo-host sparked backlash from listeners of the AI-generated radio show, concept art pictured Credit: Getty The creepy radio host was created using an AI software developed by voice cloning firm ElevenLabs. Her show, dubbed Workdays with Thy, presented music for four hours daily, Monday to Friday. But the sneaky bot failed to ever mention that she was not actually a real person. The show's website states: "If your day is looking a bit bleh, let Thy and CADA be the energy and vibe to get your mood lifted." The shock reveal only emerged after Sydney-based writer Stephanie Coombes questioned whether the automated host was really human. Coombes posed crucial questions in a bombshell blog post: "What is Thy's last name? Who is she? "Where did she come from? There is no biography, or further information about the woman who is supposedly presenting this show." Breakthrough audio analysis then debunked the hyper-realistic AI-generated host. It showed that Thy's voice clips sounded identical to each other, when saying the phrase "old school" across different shows. Fears AI will destroy entire justice system by sending innocent people to JAIL with fake CCTV evidence & deepfakes ARN project leader Fayed Tohme then admitted to the show's dubious AI practices. He said in a since-deleted LinkedIn post that Thy "sounds real" and has real fans - despite not being a real person. The leader said: "No mic, no studio, just code and vibes. "An experiment by ARN and ElevenLabs that's pushing the boundaries of what 'live radio' even means." The radio network sparked outrage from listeners for their shady radio show - even though there are currently no rules against the use of AI in broadcast content according to the communications regulator down under. Vice president of the Australian Association of Voice actors said that the show "should have been upfront and completely honest" before using an AI host. "People have been deceived into thinking it's a real person because there's no AI labelling," she complained. What are the arguments against AI? Artificial intelligence is a highly contested issue, and it seems everyone has a stance on it. Here are some common arguments against it: Loss of jobs - Some industry experts argue that AI will create new niches in the job market, and as some roles are eliminated, others will appear. However, many artists and writers insist the argument is ethical, as generative AI tools are being trained on their work and wouldn't function otherwise. Ethics - When AI is trained on a dataset, much of the content is taken from the Internet. This is almost always, if not exclusively, done without notifying the people whose work is being taken. Privacy - Content from personal social media accounts may be fed to language models to train them. Concerns have cropped up as Meta unveils its AI assistants across platforms like Facebook and Instagram. There have been legal challenges to this: in 2016, legislation was created to protect personal data in the EU, and similar laws are in the works in the United States. Misinformation - As AI tools pulls information from the Internet, they may take things out of context or suffer hallucinations that produce nonsensical answers. Tools like Copilot on Bing and Google's generative AI in search are always at risk of getting things wrong. Some critics argue this could have lethal effects - such as AI prescribing the wrong health information. ARN said in response that they were "exploring how new technology can support great content". They added: "We've been trialling AI audio tools on CADA using the voice of Thy, an ARN team member. "This is a space being explored by broadcasters globally, and while the trial has offered valuable insights, it's also reinforced the unique value that personalities bring to creating truly compelling content." Workdays with Thy reportedly attracted at least 72,000 listeners during the show's final month of ratings.
The Irish Sun
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Radio listeners are duped by secret AI clone host who presented 4hrs-a-day for SIX MONTHS – would YOU have spotted it?
FURIOUS radio listeners have slammed an AI-generated clone host who presented live on air four hours a day for half a year. Artificial intelligence robo-host "Thy" broadcast her show on Australian Radio Network's CADA station for six months before being called out. 3 AI-generated radio host Thy presented music on Australian Radio Network's CADA station on the iHeartRadio app Credit: CADA 3 Workdays with Thy broadcast on ARN's CADA station four hours a day from Monday to Friday 3 The robo-host sparked backlash from listeners of the AI-generated radio show, concept art pictured Credit: Getty The creepy radio host was created using an AI software developed by voice cloning firm ElevenLabs. Her show, dubbed Workdays with Thy, presented music for four hours daily, Monday to Friday. But the sneaky bot failed to ever mention that she was not actually a real person. The show's website states: "If your day is looking a bit bleh, let Thy and CADA be the energy and vibe to get your mood lifted." read more tech news The shock reveal only emerged after Sydney-based writer Stephanie Coombes questioned whether the automated host was really human. Coombes posed crucial questions in a bombshell blog post: "What is Thy's last name? Who is she? "Where did she come from? There is no biography, or further information about the woman who is supposedly presenting this show." Breakthrough audio analysis then debunked the hyper-realistic AI-generated host. Most read in Tech It showed that Thy's voice clips sounded identical to each other, when saying the phrase "old school" across different shows. Fears AI will destroy entire justice system by sending innocent people to JAIL with fake CCTV evidence & deepfakes ARN project leader Fayed Tohme then admitted to the show's dubious AI practices. He said in a since-deleted LinkedIn post that Thy "sounds real" and has real fans - despite not being a real person. The leader said: "No mic, no studio, just code and vibes. "An experiment by ARN and ElevenLabs that's pushing the boundaries of what 'live radio' even means." The radio network sparked outrage from listeners for their shady radio show - even though there are currently no rules against the use of AI in broadcast content according to the communications regulator down under. Vice president of the Australian Association of Voice actors said that the show "should have been upfront and completely honest" before using an AI host. "People have been deceived into thinking it's a real person because there's no AI labelling," she complained. What are the arguments against AI? Artificial intelligence is a highly contested issue, and it seems everyone has a stance on it. Here are some common arguments against it: Loss of jobs - Some industry experts argue that AI will create new niches in the job market, and as some roles are eliminated, others will appear. However, many artists and writers insist the argument is ethical, as generative AI tools are being trained on their work and wouldn't function otherwise. Ethics - When AI is trained on a dataset, much of the content is taken from the Internet. This is almost always, if not exclusively, done without notifying the people whose work is being taken. Privacy - Content from personal social media accounts may be fed to language models to train them. Concerns have cropped up as Meta unveils its AI assistants across platforms like Facebook and Instagram. There have been legal challenges to this: in 2016, legislation was created to protect personal data in the EU, and similar laws are in the works in the United States. Misinformation - As AI tools pulls information from the Internet, they may take things out of context or suffer hallucinations that produce nonsensical answers. Tools like Copilot on Bing and Google's generative AI in search are always at risk of getting things wrong. Some critics argue this could have lethal effects - such as AI prescribing the wrong health information. ARN said in response that they were "exploring how new technology can support great content". They added: "We've been trialling AI audio tools on CADA using the voice of Thy, an ARN team member. "This is a space being explored by broadcasters globally, and while the trial has offered valuable insights, it's also reinforced the unique value that personalities bring to creating truly compelling content." Workdays with Thy reportedly attracted at least 72,000 listeners during the show's final month of ratings.
The Sun
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Radio listeners are duped by secret AI clone host who presented 4hrs-a-day for SIX MONTHS – would YOU have spotted it?
FURIOUS radio listeners have slammed an AI-generated clone host who presented live on air four hours a day for half a year. Artificial intelligence robo-host "Thy" broadcast her show on Australian Radio Network's CADA station for six months before being called out. 3 3 3 The creepy radio host was created using an AI software developed by voice cloning firm ElevenLabs. Her show, dubbed Workdays with Thy, presented music for four hours daily, Monday to Friday. But the sneaky bot failed to ever mention that she was not actually a real person. The show's website states: "If your day is looking a bit bleh, let Thy and CADA be the energy and vibe to get your mood lifted." The shock reveal only emerged after Sydney-based writer Stephanie Coombes questioned whether the automated host was really human. Coombes posed crucial questions in a bombshell blog post: "What is Thy's last name? Who is she? "Where did she come from? There is no biography, or further information about the woman who is supposedly presenting this show." Breakthrough audio analysis then debunked the hyper-realistic AI-generated host. It showed that Thy's voice clips sounded identical to each other, when saying the phrase "old school" across different shows. Fears AI will destroy entire justice system by sending innocent people to JAIL with fake CCTV evidence & deepfakes ARN project leader Fayed Tohme then admitted to the show's dubious AI practices. He said in a since-deleted LinkedIn post that Thy "sounds real" and has real fans - despite not being a real person. The leader said: "No mic, no studio, just code and vibes. "An experiment by ARN and ElevenLabs that's pushing the boundaries of what 'live radio' even means." The radio network sparked outrage from listeners for their shady radio show - even though there are currently no rules against the use of AI in broadcast content according to the communications regulator down under. Vice president of the Australian Association of Voice actors said that the show "should have been upfront and completely honest" before using an AI host. "People have been deceived into thinking it's a real person because there's no AI labelling," she complained. What are the arguments against AI? Artificial intelligence is a highly contested issue, and it seems everyone has a stance on it. Here are some common arguments against it: Loss of jobs - Some industry experts argue that AI will create new niches in the job market, and as some roles are eliminated, others will appear. However, many artists and writers insist the argument is ethical, as generative AI tools are being trained on their work and wouldn't function otherwise. Ethics - When AI is trained on a dataset, much of the content is taken from the Internet. This is almost always, if not exclusively, done without notifying the people whose work is being taken. Privacy - Content from personal social media accounts may be fed to language models to train them. Concerns have cropped up as Meta unveils its AI assistants across platforms like Facebook and Instagram. There have been legal challenges to this: in 2016, legislation was created to protect personal data in the EU, and similar laws are in the works in the United States. Misinformation - As AI tools pulls information from the Internet, they may take things out of context or suffer hallucinations that produce nonsensical answers. Tools like Copilot on Bing and Google's generative AI in search are always at risk of getting things wrong. Some critics argue this could have lethal effects - such as AI prescribing the wrong health information. ARN said in response that they were "exploring how new technology can support great content". They added: "We've been trialling AI audio tools on CADA using the voice of Thy, an ARN team member. "This is a space being explored by broadcasters globally, and while the trial has offered valuable insights, it's also reinforced the unique value that personalities bring to creating truly compelling content." Workdays with Thy reportedly attracted at least 72,000 listeners during the show's final month of ratings.
Hindustan Times
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Australian radio station under fire for using AI host for 6 months without informing listeners
An Australian radio station is facing criticism after it was revealed that a host on air for the past six months was not a real person, but an AI-generated voice, according to a report by the Sydney Morning Herald. (Also read: 'Doctors said arthritis, ChatGPT said cancer': Woman credits AI chatbot for saving her life) CADA, a station under the Australian Radio Network (ARN) broadcasting in Sydney and via the iHeartRadio app, had been airing a programme called Workdays with Thy. The show, which played music for four hours daily from Monday to Friday, featured a seemingly human presenter named 'Thy'. However, according to the outlet, it never disclosed that Thy was an AI voice created using technology from ElevenLabs, a voice-cloning software company. The truth surfaced when Sydney-based writer Stephanie Coombes questioned Thy's identity. In a blog post earlier this month, Coombes wrote: 'What is Thy's last name? Who is she? Where did she come from? There is no biography, or further information about the woman who is supposedly presenting this show.' Her suspicions led to an audio analysis that revealed identical voice patterns in repeated phrases like 'old school'. As per a report by Independent, following the revelation, ARN project leader Fayed Tohme acknowledged in a now-deleted LinkedIn post that Thy was indeed an AI creation. 'No mic, no studio, just code and vibes,' he wrote. 'An experiment by ARN and ElevenLabs that's fluently pushing the boundaries of what 'live radio' even means.' Tohme also claimed that despite being artificial, Thy 'sounds real' and 'has real fans'. While there are currently no Australian regulations specifically banning the use of AI in broadcast media, the lack of disclosure has drawn backlash from within the industry. 'They should have been upfront and completely honest, disclosing that the radio host was an AI,' said Teresa Lim, vice president of the Australian Association of Voice Actors, in a statement to Mediaweek. 'People have been deceived into thinking it's a real person because there's no AI labelling.' In response to the controversy, ARN stated: 'We've been trialling AI audio tools on CADA using the voice of Thy, an ARN team member.' The network added, 'This is a space being explored by broadcasters globally, and while the trial has offered valuable insights, it's also reinforced the unique value that personalities bring to creating truly compelling content.'
