AI Radio Is Here. Dave Charles Discusses RadioGPT's Potential

By Dave Charles

Radio AI is the elephant in the room, and everybody in the radio industry needs to understand what’s going on.

My friend, Daniel Anstandig of Futuri is keynoting on his new AI radio venture, RadioGPT.  Here is a brief overview.

This is what RadioGPT is offering clients now.

TopicPulse technology scans Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and 250K+ other news and information sources to identify which topics are trending in a local market. Then, using GPT-3 technology, RadioGPT creates a script for on-air use, and AI voices turn that script into compelling audio.

Stations can select from a variety of AI voices for single-, duo-, or trio-hosted shows or train the AI with their existing personality's voices. Programming is available for individual dayparts, or Futuri's RadioGPT can power the entire station. RadioGPT is available for all formats as a white-labelled software product.

RadioGPT also generates social posts, blogs, and other content for digital platforms related to the content on the air in real time. A TopicPulse Instant Video add-on creates AI-driven short videos on hot topics for social use. By adding on Futuri's POST AI-enabled podcasting system, stations can take broadcast audio and immediately publish it on-demand with POST's auto-publishing feature.

"As early AI innovators in the broadcast space, it's only natural that we're bringing the incredible power of GPT-3 technology, paired with ground-breaking technology like TopicPulse, to radio," said Futuri CEO Daniel Anstandig.

"The ability for broadcasters to use RadioGPT to localize their on-air content in a turnkey fashion opens up resources for them to deepen their important home-field advantages in new and unique ways. With RadioGPT, the possibilities are endless. With RadioGPT, there should never be a 'liner card' or 'sweeper-only' air shift again. Now everyone can be live and local."

Beta partners for Futuri's RadioGPT include Alpha Media in the United States and Rogers Sports & Media in Canada.

My radio associate John Parikhal sent this AI response asking ChatGPT this question:

"If a radio DJ wanted to be funny and original, what would they have to do and say to develop an audience?”

It replied…

"To be a funny and original radio DJ, there are a few things you can do and say to develop an audience:

1. Find your unique voice: Every DJ has a unique personality, style, and perspective, and it's important to embrace your individuality and use it to your advantage. Whether you're sarcastic, witty, irreverent, or upbeat, find your voice and let it shine through in your broadcasts.

2. Use humour in your commentary: Injecting humour into your commentary can help keep your audience engaged and entertained. This can be in the form of funny anecdotes, humorous observations, or witty one-liners. Just be sure to keep it light and in good taste.

3. Play games or run contests: Running games or contests can be a fun way to engage your audience and create a sense of community. This can include trivia games, song requests, or interactive challenges that involve listeners.

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4. Have interesting guests: Having interesting guests on your show can help create compelling content and attract new listeners. This can be in the form of interviews with musicians, authors, or other notable figures, or even just regular people with interesting stories to share.

5. Create a signature segment: Creating a signature segment or recurring feature can help give your show a unique identity and keep listeners coming back for more. This can be anything from a daily joke, a funny news segment, or a quirky opinion piece.

Ultimately, being a successful and funny radio DJ requires a combination of creativity, personality, and audience engagement. It's important to be authentic, be open to feedback, and always strive to improve your craft."

My thoughts on ChatGPT and Radio AI so far are:

Be careful how you use it and apply it.  It’s early days.  What I use it for is fast research on topic checks.  You will always find one or two things that you’ve forgotten about the topic. That’s very helpful.  Most human recall can be dubious at the best of times.

For me, ChatGPT doesn’t context things properly.  The responses are stiff and lack creativity.

It can save you time and help you to aggregate all the social media platforms.  Localization as we know is very important to being a successful radio station.  Radio AI has not proven that it can do this but, over time, I believe it will. 

I’d love your thoughts on Radio AI.  It is a major paradigm shift.  AI Radio is out of the bottle and left unmanaged will wreak havoc.  Radio owners, CEOs and CFOs will no doubt be talking about this right now. 

Send me your comments to (dcharles@mediaresults.ca)