Australian radio station secretly used an AI host for six months

An Australian radio station is facing backlash after using an AI-generated host for the last six months without disclosing it.

Australian Radio Network’s CADA station, which broadcasts in Sydney and on the iHeartRadio app, created a host called Thy using artificial intelligence software developed by voice cloning firm ElevenLabs.

The Workdays with Thy show presented music for four hours a day from Monday to Friday, but did not mention on its website or promotional materials that Thy was not a real person.

“If your day is looking a bit bleh, let Thy and CADA be the energy and vibe to get your mood lifted,” the show’s page states.

Thy’s true identity only emerged after Sydney-based writer Stephanie Coombes questioned whether Thy was a real person.

In blog post earlier this month, Ms 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.”

Audio analysis of voice clips revealed that the host sounded identical when saying the words “old school” across different shows.

ARN project leader Fayed Tohme subsequently acknowledged the use of AI to create the voice of Thy, writing in a since-deleted LinkedIn post that Thy “sounds real” and has real fans, despite not being a real person.

“No mic, no studio, just code and vibes,” he wrote in the post, which was shared by Mediaweek. “An experiment by ARN and ElevenLabs that’s pushing the boundaries of what ‘live radio’ even means.”

There are currently no rules against the use of AI in broadcast content, according to the Australian Communications and Media Authority, however the Australian Radio Network was criticised for not disclosing the use of AI on one of its regular shows.

“They should have been upfront and completely honest, disclosing that the radio host was an AI,” Teresa Lim, vice president of the Australian Association of Voice Actors, told Mediaweek.

“People have been deceived into thinking it’s a real person because there’s no AI labelling.”

ARN said in a statement that it was “exploring how new technology can support great content” and improve its output.

“We’ve been trialling AI audio tools on CADA using the voice of Thy, an ARN team member,” the statement read.

“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.”