AI Host Went Live for Six Months, Listeners Thought It Was A Real Person

A Sydney radio station aired an AI-generated host for months, deceiving listeners and reigniting debate over transparency in Australian media.

An Australian radio station has come under fire after secretly airing an AI-generated host for six months, without ever telling its audience.

Sydney’s CADA station, owned by ARN Media, introduced “Thy,” a digital voice created using ElevenLabs AI software, back in November 2024, as first reported by The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH). Thy hosted the Workdays with Thy segment every weekday from 11am to 3pm, playing hip-hop, R&B, and pop hits. But there was no public mention that Thy wasn’t a real person.

The Independent reported that listeners only found out recently, after journalist Stephanie Coombes raised questions online. “What is Thy’s last name? Who is she? Where did she come from?” she wrote in a blog post. “There is no biography, or further information about the woman who is supposedly presenting this show.”

Eventually, ARN admitted Thy’s voice had been cloned from an actual finance team employee. One project lead wrote in a deleted LinkedIn post:

Despite the show reaching over 72,000 people, CADA never disclosed Thy’s artificial nature on-air or online. “If your day is looking a bit bleh, let Thy and CADA be the energy and vibe,” the show’s page still reads, as reported by The Independent.

While there are currently no rules in Australia requiring media companies to label AI use, the incident has sparked debate over transparency.

“They should have been upfront and completely honest,” said Teresa Lim, vice president of the Australian Association of Voice Actors, as reported by The Independent. “People have been deceived into thinking it’s a real person because there’s no AI labelling,” she added.

Lim noted that the issue also touches on fair representation. “When we found out she was just a cardboard cut-out, it cemented the disappointment. There are a limited number of Asian-Australian female presenters who are available for the job, so just give it to one of them,” as reported by the SMH.

CADA defended the trial, saying it was part of exploring new technologies in broadcasting. “This is a space being explored by broadcasters globally,” an ARN spokesperson said, as reported by the SMH. “This is a space being explored by broadcasters globally, and the trial has offered valuable insights”

The Australian Communications and Media Authority said that AI policy is still being developed, and discussions around transparency and regulation are ongoing.