The company behind the AI voice of ARN's virtual presenter, Thy, has issued a statement addressing public concerns about the use of artificial intelligence in broadcast media. This announcement came quietly on Anzac Day and was published on the ElevenLabs platform, the AI voice technology provider responsible for creating Thy.
According to the statement, Thy was generated using ElevenLabs’ AI voice technology and is based on the voice of an ARN employee who works in finance. Importantly, the employee gave consent for her voice to be used. The company highlighted the rapidity of the process, noting that the synthetic voice was live within an hour of uploading the voice samples.
This marks the first official disclosure regarding the creation of Thy, following earlier public backlash over the lack of transparency from ARN after Thy's debut on air. Listeners had remarked on Thy's voice and accent resembling that of a young Asian woman, sparking discussions about diversity, consent, and the broader role of AI in audio creative environments.
Despite the recent statement, some critical questions remain outstanding. Mediaweek has repeatedly sought clarification from ARN about whether the employee whose voice was used received payment for her participation and how the choice of voice and associated image fits within ARN’s diversity and inclusion policies. To date, ARN have not responded on these matters.
ARN has described Thy as part of a wider strategy aimed at exploring new creative forms through artificial intelligence. The company emphasises that Thy is not meant to replace human presenters but to complement the listening experience with a more personal and automated approach. Thy operates through a fully automated system utilising text-to-speech and voice cloning technologies. ARN noted that its digital platform CADA currently reaches about 160,000 listeners.
The statement reads, "Thy offers a fully-automated listening experience, powered by our Text to Speech and voice cloning tools. She is part of how we’re making radio more personal, without losing what makes it compelling." These remarks echo an earlier public comment made by ARN’s digital, product and technology leader, Fayed Tohme, who described the initiative as an experiment in radio personalisation and AI-driven engagement. That earlier comment had been posted on LinkedIn but was later deleted.
The company also contextualised its AI project alongside similar innovations by other audio industry players, mentioning that Audacy uses AI for generating ads and podcasts while companies like Futuri, SuperHiFi, and Radio.Cloud are developing full-stack automation tools for radio stations, indicating a growing range of AI applications in audio media.
Nonetheless, the ongoing scrutiny over transparency remains a significant aspect of the public discussion. Many in the media and advertising sectors view clarity about how synthetic voices are selected, compensated, and visually represented as fundamental to ethical and inclusive use of AI technologies in broadcasting.
As the conversation continues, ARN’s AI presenter Thy stands as a notable development within the evolving landscape of media innovation, combining emergent technologies with traditional broadcasting formats.
Source: Noah Wire Services