Polish radio station briefly replaced journalists with AI presenters
Polish public radio station OFF Radio Krakow dismissed its journalists and briefly replaced them with AI-generated presenters, including broadcasting a simulated interview with deceased poet Wisława Szymborska. The experiment sparked public outcry and was abandoned after one week.
What happened
OFF Radio Krakow, a public radio station in Poland, dismissed its journalists in late October 2024 and relaunched with AI-generated presenters named Emilia, Jakub, and Alex.
The station broadcast an interview with a voice simulating deceased Polish Nobel Prize-winning poet Wisława Szymborska, who died in 2012. The station had also planned interviews with other deceased figures including Polish statesman Józef Piłsudski.
Journalist and former presenter Mateusz Demski launched a petition and open letter protesting the replacement of employees with artificial intelligence, which garnered over 23,000 signatures.
Reported impact
Staff members including hosts Mateusz Demski and Lukasz Zaleski lost their jobs.
The experiment sparked nationwide outcry in Poland, with widespread concern about AI replacing human workers in media and creative industries.
Index analysis
The station's editor Marcin Pulit stated the aim was to spark debate about artificial intelligence and appeal to younger listeners through discussion of cultural and social issues.
The station said it achieved its goal of generating observations and debate in one week and ended the experiment after initially planning it for three months.
Governance controls
The station ended the experiment after one week in response to public outcry, stating the decision was made after collecting sufficient observations and conclusions.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.