“A bridge too far.” Experts weigh in on ‘Thy’

When the Australian Commercial Radio Awards return in 2026, will there be a new category for best AI presenter?

In posing this question, media analyst and Unmade founder Tim Burrowes makes an interesting and valid point.

As the fallout continues over ‘Thy,’ ARN’s AI-generated radio host, Burrowes says “Thy does feel like a landmark moment. It is, as far as we know, the first time it’s occurred in Australian radio.”

Experts continue to weigh in on the ethical ramifications, but one glaringly obvious question remains: Thy has been on-air at CADA for six months. So why are we only finding out about it now?

Tech journalist Stephen Fenech believes listeners are owed an explanation.

Speaking on Nine, Fenech says “I think it’s on ARN to be a bit more transparent about that whole thing … so listeners are aware that who they are listening to isn’t actually real.”

“When you talk about journalism, there are ethics that we need to stick to. You need to be fair and balanced.”

“I think only a human can produce that at this point.”

“AI is maybe OK to augment your job and help you with your research or structuring or (with) ideas, but to actually do the job in your place, in the media, I think that’s a bridge too far.”

As Fenech notes, AI technology has got to the point now where it’s very difficult to tell what’s fake and what’s real.

“I think the government needs to step in and have some guidelines and guard rails on AI and how it can be used responsibly, but also – in the case of many industries – where it doesn’t cost people their livelihood.”

Two years ago, when it first launched, Disrupt Radio introduced us to Debbie Disrupt, its AI newsreader.

The difference here, of course, is that Disrupt disclosed right from the outset that Debbie wasn’t a real person.

CEO Benjamin Roberts revealed at the time that there were some initial hiccups – such as when Debbie insisted on pronouncing Melbourne as ‘Mel-born.’

“We can now proudly say she can pronounce Woolloomooloo flawlessly,” Roberts told Radio Today shortly after launch. “If that’s not a sign of progress, we don’t know what is!”

Where does the industry go from here?

“It’s quite easy – as ARN demonstrated – to have this sort of technology to actually replace a person behind the microphone,” says Fenech.

“But you don’t want that to come at the expense of jobs.”