Australian Radio Station Secretly Replaced a Host with Artificial Intelligence
Listeners of the Australian radio station CADA were unknowingly enchanted for several months by a voice that did not belong to a human at all. The station, owned by media company ARN Media, recently revealed that the popular morning show host "Thy" had in fact been created entirely by artificial intelligence.
Five Months on the Air Without a Single Breath
From November last year until April 2025, the voice of the supposed host could be heard on the program "Workdays with Thy", which aired for four hours every weekday. The show built up a solid listener base – in March 2025, more than 72,000 people tuned in, with no idea that they were interacting with a computer program. "It was an experiment that exceeded our expectations," project leader Fayed Tohme revealed. "No microphone, no studio, just code and vibes." The voice of "Thy" was not created from nothing. The company ElevenLabs, a specialist in advanced voice cloning, generated an audio profile based on an actual employee from ARN Media's finance department. She provided her voice as the basis for a digital persona that subsequently created the broadcast content independently.
The Truth Was Revealed Thanks to a Curious Journalist
The entire ruse came to light thanks to the investigative work of journalist Stephanie Coombes. She became suspicious when she noticed Thy's complete absence from social media and the impossibility of finding any biographical information about the supposedly popular radio personality. "Something didn't seem right to me," Coombes told local media. "Nowadays, it is almost impossible for a host with such a large following not to have a digital footprint." When Coombes confronted station representatives with her findings, ARN Media admitted that Thy did not actually exist. The subsequent revelation sparked a heated debate about the ethics of using artificial intelligence without consumers' knowledge.
Public Reaction
CADA's decision to conceal the artificial origin of its host provoked mixed reactions. While some listeners were amused and considered the experiment a fascinating demonstration of modern technology, others expressed concern about deceiving the public. "AI technology is amazing, but transparency is essential," one listener commented on social media. "This case raises a fundamental question – where is the line between innovation and deceptive conduct?" ARN Media defended its actions as a "pioneering research project" intended to test the capabilities of artificial intelligence in a real-world media environment. The company is now considering keeping "Thy" on the air, but with clear labeling that she is an AI host.
The case of Australian radio station CADA will likely influence future regulations governing the use of artificial intelligence in the media and has sparked a debate about the extent to which listeners and viewers should know whether they are consuming content created by a human or a computer.
