This music TV channel features nothing but AI-generated hosts. Great. Just…great.
People in broadcasting, my line of work for the last 44 years, are under siege. More and more human hosts are being replaced by AI-generated hosts. Tech is even coming for my gig as a music storyteller and documentary dude. Jeezus.
There are already AI radio hosts all over the world and a smattering of AI TV presenters. Now we have a merging of the two.
ROXi is an American interactive music TV channel (it’s also available in the UK and Ireland) that has decided they don’t need MuchMusic/MTV-style meatbag DJs. Too expensive, too unreliable, and too prone to getting sick and wanting time off. The nerve, right? That’s why ROXi is going with nothing but AI-generated presenters, which will offer “jokes, fun, and trivia.”
Rob Lewis is the guy who runs the place. He says this is a way to boost the channel’s production values. I quote: “With AI we can have Roxi presenters introducing Beyoncé from a yacht moored off her favourite Caribbean Island without having to hire and fly in a production team or charter the yacht.”
Backlash? You f**kin’ better believe it. Lewis says:
“We understand why some actors and presenters are worried about AI. We believe this technology has the power to transform TV entertainment, making it far more interactive, contextually relevant, and entertaining, especially for younger consumers. Ultimately, we need to embrace AI generated talent and interactive TV experiences if we’re to attract younger viewers on TV.”
“That said, ROXi automatically excludes all unlicensed AI generated music from its catalogue. AI start-ups need to ensure the songwriters, artists, and rights holders of all the music used to train their AI services have been properly licensed and renumerated before we’d ever reconsider our position.”
This news comes a few weeks after we learned about Tilly Norwood, a totally fake AI actor. That kind of tech threatens all actors.
I think we all have to ask if this is (a) what anyone wants, (b) what humans will tolerate, and (c) if this in any way is good for any aspect of the entertainment industry.
AI is hollowing out the middle class. Add in automation and robotics, and soon all we’ll have are trillionaire tech bro overlords and billions of useless live bodies consuming space and resources. Too dystopian? Don’t count it out.
