Pottsville’s well-known FM radio station is now using disc jockeys powered by artificial intelligence.
These AI DJs are currently working the night shift at WAVT-FM. And, apparently, they have names: Remington (or “Rem”), Jack, and Bri.
Every few songs, these AI voices will come over the air and deliver either a weather forecast, a station promo, or tell a story or share news that may or may not have something to do with one of the songs they just played or are about to play.
And then, they introduce the next song with a simple, “Here’s Bawatidaba by Kid Rock,” for example.
The station isn’t hiding its use of these DJs. Although there is no mention of them on the station’s website or its social media sites, they do run an audio clip on the air from its morning personality, John Dunn.
That statement says, “You might be hearing something new on T-102 very soon as we start to incorporate some new technology into our sound. In an effort to inform and better entertain you 24/7, we’ll be using AI voices moving forward.”
T-102 says in this on-air statement that Rem, Jack, and Bri aren’t replacing anyone at the station.
“Now, just be aware that management wants everybody to know that this is an addition, not a subtraction. They’re not meant to take anyone’s place. However, we do hope that it enhances your listening experience here at T-102,” the statement continues.
After several hours of listening, we can say that these AI DJs aren’t terrible. They’re definitely not a replacement for a human DJ.
These AI DJs are rather monotonous and the stories they tell between songs are often very random. They are up-to-date, however.
We heard one story about Travis Kelce and what he wore to the Kentucky Derby just a day after the race. However, as a means of getting important information to the public, the AI tech definitely needs work.
On Sunday night, National Weather Service issued a Special Weather Statement about dense fog in Schuylkill County.
During the AI-voiced weather forecast, the DJ left out some important details about that statement. All he said was, “There is a Special Weather Statement in effect until further notice,” and then told listeners the current temperature. It might have been helpful to know the nature of that special statement.
T-102’s statement admits that its AI DJs have a bit of work to do. The statement Dunn reads says, “Now, there might be a few hiccups along the way as the technology is relatively new.”
We captured a few clips of T-102’s AI DJ in action, including the statement that aired informing listeners that they might be hearing these voices:
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