A new radio star called “bigGPT” has appeared in the sky in Germany, and it sparkles with a special kind of brilliance: artificial intelligence (AI). But while some of us are fascinated by the technological advances, there are also some critical voices.
AI on the radio: progress or regression?
bigGPT is an AI-generated audio experience hosted by synthetic voices. But is it really progress? Some might argue that the lack of human hosts takes away from the soul of radio. Where is the warmth, the personality that only a real human can bring?
Music by measure or one-size-fits-all?
The music selection of bigGPT is also controlled by AI. This means that the songs we listen to are selected by an algorithm based on what gets the most clicks on the internet. But what if I want to listen to 90s indie rock or classic jazz? Will the AI take that into account, or will I be bombarded with the latest pop hit I’ve heard a thousand times?
International trend: AI radios worldwide
It seems that bigGPT is not alone. There are similar developments internationally:
- RadioGPT: Dubbed the “world’s first AI-powered radio station,” this station was launched by Futuri and features localized radio content generated entirely by AI.
- AI Ashley: An Oregon radio station, Live 95.5, has launched an AI DJ called “AI Ashley,” named after his human counterpart.
- AI Healthcare Radio: Another interesting example is an AI-driven healthcare radio station specifically focused on healthcare topics.
Personalization: a blessing or a curse?
There’s also the idea that in the future, everyone could have their own personalized radio station that picks news and music based on our preferences. That sounds great at first glance, but what about discovering new music or listening to news that is outside our “bubble”?
Choose your voice!
An interesting idea is that in the future we might be able to choose our favorite AI voice. Imagine being able to choose between Morgan Freeman, Beyoncé, or even your own voice! But again, this begs the question: is this really what we want?
While bigGPT is undoubtedly impressive, there are many questions that need to be answered. It’s exciting, but also a bit scary. The future of radio could look very different, but is different always better? Only time will tell.
Make your own picture
Under the following link you can listen for yourself: www.bigfm.de/webradio/biggpt