Originally published at: AI, ‘Populism’ and the Centibillionaire Shangri-La - TPM – Talking Points Memo
A few days ago I was looking at one of the many recent (post-shutdown) polls that show an increasingly dark mood toward the GOP and favorable signs for the Democrats. There was something else in those polls that surprised me: people are really, really down on AI. Now, to be clear, this is sort of…
I’m 62 years old and have been working at the same NYC radio station for 36 years. I’ve gone from cutting physical audio tape to dedicated audio editor to audio editing software. I’ve not only adjusted each step of the way but loved every minute of it. I can produce things that are more elaborate and in a fraction of the time it would take me. Some of the things I do would’ve taken me half a day to do if I could do them at all back in the day.
For me, what’s called A.I. these days is just another tool I use to do my job. It doesn’t do the job for me, but it helps when I need it. Here are some examples:
- I upload our morning show podcast to where it’s published on the streamers. A.I. allows me to transcribe an hour of audio and then have a synopsis of what’s been said created. I go through it myself to correct any wording or mistakes, but that’s what I use to create a simple blurb for the segments.
- I still produce audio pieces - funny one or two minute montages - for one of the hosts who is now doing podcasts rather than on-air shows. A.I. allows me to find clips and actually create snippets of music that I use for those pieces. A great tool and I don’t have to go to music school to get a degree.
- In my daily work - creating commercials - A.I. helps me refine the terrible language of scripts and to find library music that is exactly the mood I want. I’ve gotten good at prompts which helps
Are there radio stations who would replace me with A.I. generated content created by sales execs or assistants? Yes. That content would be horrible because I’ve heard stuff like that pushed onto us from corporate and it sounds like crap. If some money grubber in the industry wants to replace me then go ahead - I set enough money aside so good bye. But if they think they can create a totally A.I. radio station, then good luck. Maybe it’ll pass muster as a curiosity, but people aren’t going to want to identify with an A.I. on air personality like they did with someone like Mike Francesa or Howard Stern. I can’t see that happening.
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