PORTLAND, Ore. (CelebrityAccess) — Portland’s KBFF Live 95.5 radio station announced plans to use an A.I. DJ.
Dylan Salisbury, the content director for the Portland FM station told Oregon Live that the station is using voice cloning software and A.I. to recreate current on-air personality DJ “Ashley Z.”
Salisbury told Oregon Live that currently, the A.I. DJ is not generating original content but instead using pre-programmed material. But he noted that may change in the future.
“At the moment, we are controlling what she says,” Salisbury told the newspaper. “Eventually, with very little guidance, it’ll be able to come up with content on its own.”
The human version of Ashley says she doesn’t feel threatened by her A.I. clone, telling Oregon Live that she sees it as a new creative outlet.
“Sure it’s a little surreal,” she added. “But I’m excited to be at the forefront of this advancement to our industry with people who understand the importance of respecting and maximizing talent, and who want to use it for good,” she said in a statement provided to Oregon Live.
While an A.I. DJ is new on terrestrial radio, streaming service Spotify has had an AI host for some time.
The A.I., whose voice appears to be based on Spotify’s previous head of cultural partnerships Xavier Jernigan, provides brief commentary between song blocks. The song blocks include music from your playlists, along with similar song suggestions, as well as music promoted by Spotify.
