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Johnsias Mutonhori, [email protected]

Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) campus radio station has taken a step forward by adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI) to handle presentations during specific periods when presenters are unavailable.

The AI presenter, named Kudzy, has been integrated into the radio station’s schedule to cover lunchtime presentations when presenters are on their lunch breaks.

Additionally, Kudzy takes over the shows after regular working hours when the presenters conclude their shifts.

The adoption of AI in the electronic media sector, including radio, is a global trend that showcases the ability of AI to perform tasks traditionally carried out by humans.

The combination of AI technology with human expertise has resulted in a more captivating and engaging radio experience.

AI presenters can also be a solution for community and other commercial radio stations that cannot afford to hire presenters to run the station in real-time.

In an interview last Friday, following the World Press Freedom Day commemoration, Mr Golden Maunganidze, the Director of the GZU campus radio station and the National Chairperson of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), emphasized the importance of innovation in academic institutions and the media sector, urging them to harness AI to address challenges faced by the industry.

“The motivation behind our AI presenter is to provide solutions to the challenges faced by contemporary radio stations, particularly community radio stations granted licenses by the government.

“Through our research, we have observed high staff turnover in these stations, and as a university, we strive to be at the forefront in seeking solutions that can benefit other community and commercial radio stations,” he stated.

He further explained: “Our AI presenter runs our hourly shows, specifically between 1PM and 2PM when students are on their lunch breaks since we are a student-run radio station.

“Additionally, we activate our AI presenter to conduct shows after 9 pm when we go home.

Mr Maunganidze mentioned that Kudzy is not well-versed in vernacular languages, however, efforts are being made to enhance her literacy in those areas.

“We are in the process of improving our AI presenter to handle Shona and other vernacular language scripts. This development marks a crucial turning point as we continue to lead in innovative practices within our radio stations.

“We have also developed a remote studio monitoring system, which we plan to share with our stakeholders.

“This system aims to reduce the number of engineers required at a radio station by leveraging currently available technologies.”