Artificial announcers to be outed in radio rule refresh
Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson |
Commercial radio stations will be forced to reveal when they are using computer-generated voices to host regular programs under revised rules.
But Australia’s first artificial intelligence regulations for broadcast media will come with exemptions for AI used on radio streaming services, as well as in advertisements, weather and traffic reports.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority revealed the changes on Tuesday as part of the Commercial Radio Code of Practice 2026, which also changed requirements for content played during school drop-off and pick-up times.
It comes after a Sydney radio station revealed it had used an AI-generated host for a regular music show, and a group representing Australian voice actors said the AI disclosure rules did not go far enough.
Changes to the code, which will take effect from July 1, will require radio stations to reveal if they are using an AI-generated, synthetic voice to host a regularly scheduled music or news program.
The disclosure can air during an episode or appear on the radio station’s website or social media channels.
Commercial stations must also “exercise special care” between 8am and 9am and 3pm and 4pm on school days under the changes to consider young students.
The reforms reflected community concerns, authority chair Nerida O’Loughlin said, and would help listeners accurately assess what they were hearing.
“Broadcasting rules must keep pace with technology and with community expectations,” she said.
“Listeners want greater transparency about when AI is being used.”
AI disclosures will not apply to all radio content, however, with exclusions for weather and traffic updates, music and advertisements played during programs, and broadcasts delivered on streaming platforms.
Broadcasters should voluntarily include AI disclaimers across all platforms, Ms O’Loughlin said, including on-demand services.
“If they do not, we expect that new regulations may need to be put in place so that listeners know what to expect no matter how they tune in,” she said.
Commercial Radio Australia welcomed the code’s registration, with chief executive Lizzie Young saying the AI transparency provisions would proactively address technological changes.
The code comes after Sydney-based radio station CADA used an AI-generated voice named Thy to host a weekday program without revealing it to listeners as it was not required to do so.
While changes to AI transparency were a step forward for the industry, Australian Association of Voice Actors president Simon Kennedy said, the changes were not comprehensive.
AI-generated voices were increasingly being deployed in commercial settings, he said, and consumers should be told whenever they were not listening to a human.
“It’s not close to good enough,” he told AAP.
“We’d like to see it legislated that people have the right to scrutinise the media that they’re consuming based on the facts.”
The federal government released its National AI Plan in December that did not propose specific laws governing the technology.
AAP
