Artificial Intelligence in the media: the example of Radio OFF

Artificial Intelligence in the media: the example of Radio OFF

Recently, one of the most recognizable examples of the use of artificial intelligence in the media in Poland was an experiment conducted by OFF Radio Kraków, which decided to apply AI in the process of creating a radio program. In practice, artificial intelligence has been used for tasks such as hosting broadcasts, creating playlists or arranging narratives. The decision to replace part of the employees' activities with AI technology attracted a lot of media attention and generated considerable controversy. Some viewers, unaware that it was an experiment, accused the radio of depriving people of their jobs, lack of authenticity, and losing the “human element” that had previously characterized broadcasts. Despite the fact that AI coped well with the tasks assigned to it, many people were not convinced of such a solution. This, in turn, has sparked a wide debate about the use of new technologies in the media.

After the experiment was completed, Radio OFF issued a statement, emphasizing that the decision to introduce AI was purely a test item. The experiment not only stimulated discussion, but also provided the owners of the radio with many valuable conclusions. As they themselves admitted, the project, which was originally supposed to last three months, ended after a week due to the scale of interest and controversy it aroused. As a result, key conclusions were formulated much faster than assumed.

The role of artificial intelligence in the media is becoming increasingly important, raising often unregulated legal issues, such as image protection, the identification of content created with the support of AI or copyright. It also continues to arouse strong emotions, which testifies to the fact that society is attentive to the development of human-replacing technologies. Consequently, not only technological and legal dilemmas arise, but also ethical dilemmas about determining the direction in which technological progress should go.

Key takeaways from the experiment

The OFF Radio Kraków experiment showed that artificial intelligence (AI) did not completely replace the work of journalists, but significantly supported their activities. This experience has become one of the most important conclusions of the project. Despite the fact that the published material was clearly marked as created using AI tools, which ensured transparency, the experiment highlighted the problem of post-truth - the loss of the meaning of facts in favor of emotional and subjective perception.

The presence of AI in everyday life, highlighted by this project, has become the impetus for discussions on what artificial intelligence can offer and what it potentially receives. The project aimed to initiate a substantive debate on the opportunities and risks associated with the development of AI - this goal has been achieved. Currently, the experiment is the subject of research conducted by Professor Stanisław Jędrzejewski from the Leon Koźmiński Academy and a team of scientists from the Jagiellonian University.

Marcin Pulit, editor-in-chief of Radio OFF, stressed in his statement that the initiative ended with numerous reflections, touched on many aspects of social life and initiated a discussion on legal changes that may be introduced in Poland in the coming years to regulate the use of tools offered by AI.

research

An example of scientific literature that addresses the challenges related to the use of AI in the media is an article by Trystan S. Goetze AI Art is Theft: Labour, Extraction, and Exploitation: Or, On the Dangers of Stochastic Pollocks, who, thanks to his socio-ethical analysis in the context of the use of AI in art creation, gives arguments in favor of the fact that generative AI systems (e.g. DALL-E or Stable Diffusion) can lead to unethical treatment of artists' work. The danger is the exploitation of their work; the use of works without consent and the lack of remuneration due to artists for their work.

In the context of Radio Off, this is important because the creative process is threatened in many ways: it can contribute to the replacement of human creators and exploit their works, use them in an unauthorized way to improve and learn more AI models. Goetze in the article emphasizes the need for a responsible and ethically thought-out approach to the implementation of new technologies in life.

Another example of an article that explores whether and why people prefer human-made works of art over those generated by artificial intelligence is Humans versus AI: whether and why we prefer human-created compared to AI-created artwork by Lucas Bellaiche and collaborators. An example presented in the reading was an experiment carried out for a research purpose, which consisted of presenting participants with images with randomly assigned labels “man-made” or “created by AI”, although all the works were actually generated by artificial intelligence. The study found that images labeled as man-made were rated higher on characteristics such as aesthetics, depth, value or attractiveness.

The result of the study was conclusions indicating that awareness of human participation in the creative process positively influences the perception of works of art. Elements such as storytelling and the perceived effort put into creating them had a significant impact on ratings, especially with regard to visual aspects such as aesthetics and attractiveness. Moreover, a positive approach to AI reduced differences in assessments of deeper characteristics, such as value or depth of message.

Empirical evidence obtained from the study points to some biases towards AI-generated content, which sheds light on how society perceives AI. At the same time, research emphasizes that human contribution to the creative process matters, and awareness of this affects the way audiences perceive and accept a given work.

In the context of the Krakow Radio OFF experiment, understanding the broader context and dynamics that shape the selection of media content is crucial. This allows us to better understand the current situation of the media and the challenges they face in the development of new technologies.

summary

The Radio OFF experiment showed that AI-created content is still prejudiced, and human input remains crucial for reception and acceptance. The research highlighted the need to understand how society perceives new technologies in the media. These challenges point to the need to strike a balance between innovation and authenticity.

Sources:

1. https://off.radiokrakow.pl/newsy/czego-dowiedzielismy-sie-o-ai-i-nas-samych-podsumowanie-eksperymentu-off-radia-krakow
2. https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/3630106.3658898?utm_source=chatgpt.com
3. https://cognitiveresearchjournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s41235-023-00499-6?utm_source=chatgpt.com