A Polish radio station, OFF Radio Kraków, has ignited a national debate in Poland by dismissing its journalists and relaunching with AI-generated presenters, according to a report by Vanessa Gera for the Associated Press (AP).
The station, located in the southern city of Krakow, announced earlier this week that it was conducting an unprecedented experiment in Poland — replacing human hosts with AI-powered counterparts. Emilia “Emi” Nowak, Jakub “Kuba” Zieliński, and 23-year-old Alex Szulc are now the new AI-generated “hosts” at OFF Radio Kraków. As of Tuesday, these AI-created figures have taken over the roles of former journalists, whose contracts were recently ended by the station.
According to the bio of Emi Nowak on the radio station’s website, Emi is their pop culture expert:
“She passionately follows the latest trends in the world of cinema, music and fashion. She loves independent cinema.“
The station’s head, Marcin Pulit, described the move as an effort to appeal to a younger audience by offering discussions on topics like culture, art, and social issues, including LGBTQ+ concerns. In a statement, Pulit posed a fundamental question about the role of AI in media, asking whether artificial intelligence represents an opportunity or a threat to the future of journalism.
The shift has attracted significant attention, largely due to a public protest by former OFF Radio Krakow journalist Mateusz Demski. Demski, a journalist and film critic who hosted a show on the station until August, voiced his discontent in an open letter on Tuesday. He argued that the decision to replace human journalists with AI set a “dangerous precedent” that could lead to a media landscape dominated by machines at the expense of experienced professionals in the industry.
Demski’s protest struck a chord with many. By Wednesday morning, over 15,000 people had signed a petition he launched, expressing concern over the trend toward automation in media. Demski revealed that he received calls from hundreds of individuals, many of them young people worried about the implications of such an experiment.
The AP report went on to say that the debate over AI’s role in journalism also drew the attention of government officials. Krzysztof Gawkowski, Poland’s Minister of Digital Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister, has weighed in, stating that while he supports AI development, certain boundaries are being crossed. He emphasized the need for legislation to regulate AI’s impact, noting that its use should serve the public’s interests, not work against them.
Featured Image via OFF Rdio Krakow
