The Australian Radio Network (ARN) is facing backlash after revealing that ‘Thy’ a weekday hip-hop host on Sydney’s CADA station, is an AI-generated persona, one modelled on an employee believed to be from the network’s finance department.
Created in partnership with overseas voice cloning giant ElevenLabs, Thy has been broadcasting four-hour segments on digital radio for approximately six months without any disclosure that she is artificial.
Questions of Diversity and Representation
Journalist Stephanie Coombes was the first to voice concerns in her newsletter, The Carpet, highlighting the troubling irony of the network seemingly showcasing an Asian presenter who turns out to be an AI creation.
Coombes went on to question the decision-making process of the four men reportedly behind the AI’s script and online persona.
She writes: “ARN has a very white on-air talent lineup. How white? Well, I looked through the host lineup for KIIS, GOLD and CADA – ARN’s three major radio brands which broadcast around the country. Across nine stations, it seems that there’s only one person who outwardly presents as diverse.”
That person is Thy.
Coombes goes on to ask: “Did one of the biggest FM radio companies in the country invent an Asian woman rather than… hiring someone who was Asian?”.
Thy, CADA’s AI workday host.
Who is Thy?
Thy’s voice and likeness are based on a real ARN employee who, according to Coombes, works in the company’s finance department.
Mediaweek is aware of the name of the employee but has chosen not to print it.
However, when the question of identity was posed to ARN, the company responded that “it’s not just her (Thy’s) likeness being used: Thy is her name, it’s her actual photo, and her real voice that has been cloned. She is very much involved in this trial”.
Despite several attempts, the company is yet to respond to Mediaweek’s request for clarification on whether or not the finance employee was paid for her participation.
The trial
In a statement to Mediaweek, ARN defended the experiment stating they are “always exploring how new technology can support great content and enhance the listener experience.”
The statement continued, “As part of this, we’ve been trialling AI audio tools on CADA using the voice of Thy, an ARN team member. This is a space being explored by broadcasters globally, and while the trial has offered valuable insights, it’s also reinforced the unique value that personalities bring to creating truly compelling content.”
So far, digital, product and technology leader Fayed Tohme has been the only ARN staff member to publicly associate himself with the trial.
In a since deleted LinkedIn post, Tohme celebrated the project, boasting that Thy “sounds real” and “has fans,” despite having never set foot in a studio.
ARN has chosen not to release the names of other staff members involved in the trial – specifically those tasked with writing the script for Thy to read on air.
Diversity and representation
Teresa Lim, the vice president of the Australian Association of Voice Actors, has strongly condemned ARN’s actions.
Speaking to Mediaweek, Lim expressed deep concern for the trial, questioning whether the employee was properly informed, consented with full understanding, or fairly compensated.
“Has she even signed the AI waiver because they’re cloning her voice?,” she said. “I think it’s a real concern, because she’s not in a position to make an informed decision.”
Lim further highlighted the insult to the Asian broadcasting community, particularly Asian women who have fought for greater representation in Australian media.
“If it is true that it’s four blokes who are actually posing as her online, then that is a real insult to the Asian broadcasting community… this feels like a massive step back,” she asserted.
Lim described the move as “tokenistic,” questioning the specific choice to make the AI persona Asian and suggesting it was a superficial attempt to appear diverse without genuine inclusivity.
“It’s so tokenistic. I do wonder why, when these blokes sat down and decided to create a fake personality, did they make her Asian? Was that a specific choice to look diverse without doing anything?” she said.
What disturbs Lim most is the sense that the network is using the illusion of representation without actually committing to it.
“When you look at their website, their presenters don’t look very diverse.
“I’m deeply offended, and I’ve spoken to the Asian broadcasting community and they are horrified. An opportunity for representation on a major radio network has turned out to be completely fake,” Lim said.
In a letter to shareholders earlier this year addressing WGEA’s gender pay gap report, ARN stated it was “active in creating an inclusive workplace, as recognised in the Diversity Council of Australia’s (DCA) Inclusive Employer Index. ARN is also committed to the continuous development of a diverse, inclusive, equitable and constructive culture – where all people have access to broadly equal opportunities and outcomes.”
While Australian companies are not required to join DCA, ASX-listed companies are expected to establish and disclose diversity policies with measurable objectives for gender diversity, or explain why they have not done so.
However, despite being pressed several times by Mediaweek to provide details on ARN’s diversity quota, the company chose not to respond.
Lack of transparency
Lim also criticised ARN’s lack of transparency with its listeners, emphasising the need for clear disclosure that Thy is AI.
“They should have been upfront and completely honest, disclosing that the radio host was an AI… people have been deceived into thinking it’s a real person because there’s no AI labelling,” she argued.
The ethical implications also extend to control and consent. What if the real ‘Thy’ were to disagree with what the AI persona is saying, Lim argues.
“She’s basically a puppet. They can make her say and do anything. She doesn’t have the option to walk away like a real host. She’s stuck in their system,” Lim said.
The decision also has implications for voice artists working in the industry, many of whom, like Lim, were unaware of ARN’s partnership with ElevenLabs and now fear their own voices may be used without proper consent.
“I voice ads for ARN, numerous ones, but there’s never been any conversation or transparency about whether my voice has been fed into ElevenLabs.”
Teresa Lim, the vice president of the Australian Association of Voice Actors.
Ethical implications
While Lim acknowledges that AI has a place in media, she says the industry must be held to account when it crosses ethical lines.
“What we’re all saying about AI is that it can be great, and it is great in many areas. But this is one of those clear examples where it’s not great. This is a misuse of AI.”
Lim is calling for two urgent steps: a public apology from ARN for failing to disclose Thy’s artificial nature, and immediate labelling of all AI-generated programming.
“They’ve been doing this in secret for six months. Not two weeks. Not a pilot. Six months.
“At the very least, if it really is four men pretending to be an Asian woman, then every time that voice goes to air, there needs to be a clear disclaimer: this is AI. She is not real,” she said.
Coombes agrees writing: “As a matter of urgency, there needs to be some reform to ensure that the media discloses when content has been produced, in part or wholly, using AI”.
ARN has a publicised enterprise agreement with AI speech generation company ElevenLabs
Mediaweek has approached Diversity Council Australia for comment.