Artificial Intelligence has been a hot-button topic for media executives. Futuri has released the findings of a groundbreaking study about AI from media consumers.
In a study alongside CMG Custom Research, Futuri polled 5,200 media consumers about their familiarity with AI, and their willingness to embrace the technology.
For instance, 89% of respondents said they were familiar with AI, while 59% said they have knowingly used it. Nearly 60% of respondents were unable to decipher AI voices from human voices when presented with samples.
While many have insinuated that media consumers do not want artificial voices, 78% of those surveyed said they would listen more if AI were to “fill in gaps” in broadcasting schedules. Meanwhile, 30% of audio listeners said AI-generated content would “definitely improve” their podcast experiences.
“Futuri’s study shows that audiences are open to media’s adoption of AI for content creation. In fact, 1 in 5 listeners believe they already listen to a radio station that is using AI,” said Futuri CEO Daniel Anstandig. “Listeners also believe that AI will assist media in creating more relevant and engaging content. They just want to be informed of its use, and for it to be used in the right scenarios.
“This study reveals an industry at the dawn of an AI revolution. The demand
for content in general, is at an all-time high, and AI promises to make broadcast teams capable
of generating the sheer volume of audio content across multiple platforms that audiences
demand.”
Specifically in radio, many respondents said they would embrace more usage of the technology. 85% of those surveyed believe artificial intelligence would definitely or somewhat likely improve weather and forecasts in radio. 89% said it would better song selection and 86% said it would improve introduction to songs.
However, 90% expressed the opinion that stations should disclose when AI is being used to create content or create on-air voices.
“Now is the time for radio to maximize its human talent, and use AI to enhance our ability to produce content for every daypart and every platform. The radio industry is not served by debates about whether or not AI is coming… it’s here, it’s inevitable,” concluded Anstanding. “Content creators are using AI to grow their audience and revenue every day.
“Now, we in radio need to adopt practical tools and solutions to make ourselves more efficient and impactful. Radio is also not served by debates about replacing humans with AI. We need all the human ingenuity and creativity we can get, and we need to augment and extend it with AI. A strong media industry is good for democracy, and good for society. ”
