Together with
The Future. Comedian and TV host Drew Carey subbed in someone to DJ a recent episode of his radio show, Friday Night Freakout — an AI replication of himself. It had some kinks, and fans didn’t like it, but the experiment shows that hosting a radio show with AI is possible. And with ElevenLabs and Super Hi-Fi partnering to create AI-driven radio stations, the development of AI radio personalities may be just around the corner.
Creating Carey
Drew Carey brought a new meaning to Whose Line is it Anyway? during an episode of his SiriusXM show.
- Using a beta version of ElevenLabs’ AI voice tool, Carey recreated his voice to handle most of his DJing, such as introducing songs and doing recaps.
- 99% of the script was written using ChatGPT, with Carey only making a few adjustments to jokes.
By Carey’s admission, the resulting AI Carey had some issues — the voice sounded robotic, and the script was simplistic. But, it was passable.
Pass the talk
So, what did his fans think? They were not stoked. On Twitter, listeners complained that his voice sounded “soulless” and unlike the “real Drew.” Carey understands the criticism, telling Engadget that “the reason FM stations and treasured radio stations still make money is because people like the personality of the DJs.” A replication of a DJ’s voice just doesn’t cut it.
Still, Carey thinks AI will inevitably have a job in DJ booths, either reading late-night scripts or doing some basic ad copy.
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