Radio, like many industries, has been going through significant changes with the rapid rise of artificial intelligence becoming a topic of intense debate and speculation. To gain some insights into this transformative technology, Benztown and P1 Media Group hosted an in-depth webinar with Alpha Media Portland’s Live 95.5 (KBFF) Content Director Dylan Salisbury – creator of AI Ashley, the world’s first AI radio presenter.
AI Ashley came to be when Ashley Elzinga had the opportunity to step into a programming role, but Salisbury knew that would come with limitations on her on-air role on the station. As a group, they set out to find a technological workaround via AI. The longest and most involved step was the actual programming of Ashley’s AI voice: “We found out that cloning female voices is much more difficult than cloning a male voice because we don’t talk with as much emotion or inflection as females typically do.”
While there is a lot of promise, Salisbury didn’t shy away from discussing the technical and ethical complexities involved in implementing AI. “It takes longer to program AI than a voice track. It hasn’t been, you know, a lot of people [said] ‘You’re trying to fire people and cut costs.’ It is not time nor resource-friendly to use AI,” Salisbury pointed out. However, he believes that with advancements, the technology will become more time-efficient and cost-effective.
The early adopter strongly advocates for viewing AI as a tool rather than a threat. “We are truly embracing it because we believe that it is going to be here today and it’ll be here tomorrow, and we can use it to our benefit as a tool in addition to Ashley, not replacing Ashley,” he stressed.
As for audience reaction to Ashley’s part AI/part humanly voicetracked hybrid show, he said, “The audience, our traditional listener here in Portland, hasn’t really given any negative feedback. Maybe it’s because they haven’t realized it yet. I mean, as we all know, radio listeners are typically not that involved, especially outside of Morning Drive.” This doesn’t mean that the AI aspects are hidden, though. “We always disclose that it’s AI Ashley when it’s AI Ashley. We never try to hide it because here’s the thing, if we start putting AI content on the air and not disclosing that it’s AI, that hurts us and harms our relationship with our audience, with our advertisers. But if we disclose it and bring the audience in on the project with us, then we’re able to give them more timely content because we have the AI capabilities.”
When asked if AI Ashley’s ratings have fallen or risen due to the change, Salisbury said the station hasn’t seen an effect yet.
He believes that one of the most complex aspects of AI in radio is its ability to create empathy in a listener. “AI Ashley doesn’t have feeling yet. So it’s got to be me or whoever’s programming,” Salisbury said. Although AI doesn’t yet have the capability to express emotions, the Content Director is optimistic: “I would imagine that perspective is going to be there one day for AI,” he added.
Salisbury openly acknowledged the widespread resistance to AI. “We took a lot of flack for using AI early on, and I get it because change is scary, especially when it comes to our livelihood,” he said. He believes that much of the opposition stems from the fear of job loss and a general resistance to change. However, Salisbury has a different perspective. “We know that our early adoption of AI will, knock on wood, age well in the long run,” he emphasized.
Looking ahead, Salisbury predicts that the role of AI in radio will only expand, creating new job opportunities. “I feel strongly in the next few months, you’re going to see broadcasters hiring persons whose sole responsibility is to become their company’s AI specialist,” he said.
Salisbury concluded the discussion by reiterating his love for radio and his desire to see the industry grow. “I love radio. I don’t want to see any of my peers go away. I want radio to grow and I want radio to be embraced moving forward in the future. So I’m doing my best here as an advocate for AI,” he stated.
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