How can the live radio industry safeguard itself against misused AI?

Now that AI is beginning to play an integral role in our world, every industry is being affected – the live radio sector included. While AI undoubtedly has the potential to be used for good, it can also be used for the wrong reasons. The question that naturally follows is this: how do industries protect themselves against misused AI?

Well, this is a great question, and it’s one that is being debated across the world. However, there are a few tactics that are already being implemented, and those are what we are going to discuss today. Let’s get right into it and take a look at how the live radio industry can safeguard itself against the misuse of AI. 

Understanding the risks

The first step to combatting AI misuse is to understand the potential risks and implications. Perhaps the biggest risk that live radio companies will have to deal with is people using AI to generate fake audio clips. Someone could call in to a radio show and claim to be a celebrity, using deep fake audio, spreading misinformation and causing chaos.

It’s also possible for an individual to call in and say they have evidence of a crime or misdemeanour, playing fabricated clips of someone else’s voice. Both of these situations have pretty serious implications, and just the threat of this kind of misuse alone is going to put a huge strain on the live radio industry. 

AI misuse could also take away jobs. With the level AI is at now, it could be possible to entirely replace a host with artificial intelligence. Listeners may not even be able to tell that it’s not AI – they will come equipped with human traits, personalities and unique mannerisms. In an effort to cut costs, it’s highly likely that some live radio platforms will go down this path. 

Another potential way that AI could be misused is if it’s used to manipulate. Due to the fact that AI is free, it could be used to make hyper-personalised, local content to try and resonate with specific groups of listeners and lead them to believe certain views or buy specific products. This could lead to rampant mistrust in the industry. 

Implementing robust verification processes

Now that we know the risks, let’s take a look at what the live radio industry can do to protect itself. The most straightforward way to safeguard against AI is to implement a plethora of robust verification processes. This is something that GAA betting sites and other online gambling establishments have done for years to enhance security and protect their players, and there are plenty of other examples of other industries implementing similar strategies. 

In radio, this could mean vetting everyone who would like to call beforehand, asking them to send proof of identity, explain what they would like to talk about and send over any clips or audio they would like to feature, or go through a captcha that AI may struggle to complete. 

This method isn’t foolproof. There will undeniably be people who know how to bypass all of the aforementioned safeguards and still play deep fake audio, not to mention the rapidly advancing capabilities of AI that will likely be able to pass any of our current tests in the future.

However, it will be a huge help for the foreseeable future. Not only will it stop a number of people who would like to misuse AI, but it will also make most people think it’s not worth it. 

AI could also be used on live radio platforms themselves. It’s likely that some “out-there” platforms could turn to deep fake audio themselves to convince listeners of a certain point, or cause upset. This could be where regulatory bodies come in, demanding that every live radio show has every audio clip they would like to play vetted and checked. 

Emphasising human-centric content

Lastly, if the live radio industry wants to survive in the long term, it’s going to need to emphasise human-centric content. If every platform jumps to AI at the first chance they get, the entire industry is going to collapse. This is why live platforms need to make an effort to promote human-centric content over AI, even though it may be less practical or more expensive. 

There are already podcasts made entirely by AI. Have you heard of any of them? The answer is likely no. People just don’t want to listen to or watch AI – in most cases, it’s just a bland, regurgitated conversation that has no spirit. Even when AI becomes more advanced, perhaps becoming indistinguishable from humans, most people would still prefer to listen to human content.

There’s something about AI that just puts people off. Even though it could offer the same experience as humans, it never quite feels “real”. We like to connect and relate to people – humans know the struggles and strife that comes with being mortal. AI doesn’t. 

Live radio shows need to acknowledge this and make as much as an effort as possible to keep the spotlight on humans. If they don’t, the industry as we know it could cease to exist. 

Conclusion

There’s no doubt that AI presents challenges. The live radio industry as well as other industries all across the world will have new problems to deal with that were not even imaginable just a few years ago. Luckily, us humans are versatile. Whenever a new issue arises, it’s not long before we have a wide array of solutions. Dealing with AI misuse is no different. 

Throughout the next few years, we will see the live radio industry implement various strategies, such as robust verification methods and prioritising human content. These changes, in conjunction with a few others, will be able to minimise the impact of AI misuse, and while we likely won’t be able to circumvent it altogether, we may be able to deal with it well enough that it’s no longer a problem.

Published May 31st 2024 – 8.15pm