After recently dismissing its human journalists, the station had replaced them with AI avatars to host cultural and social segments, aiming to engage younger audiences.
However, public response to the move has been overwhelmingly negative, with over 23,000 people signing a petition to end the use of the AI “presenters.”
Marcin Pulit, editor at OFF Radio Krakow, stated the goal was to spark discussion about AI’s role in media, but the station was taken aback by the public’s “harsh judgments” and strong emotional response.
Although the experiment was initially planned to last three months, the station decided to end it within a week. Pulit acknowledged the backlash, noting that many viewed the move as a “dangerous precedent” that could threaten jobs in journalism and creative industries.
The experiment drew widespread attention after former presenter Mateusz Demski criticized the AI replacement in an open letter, arguing it undermined skilled human employees and artistic integrity.
The station’s AI “interviews” even included a simulated conversation with Nobel-winning poet Wisława Szymborska, and they reportedly planned another with late statesman Józef Piłsudski before halting the project.
AI didn’t kill the already-dead radio star, after all.
