IHeartMedia puts less emphasis on AI

As part of their hourly on-air disclosures, DJs are expected to say 'Guaranteed Human.'

- BY MEG JAMES

THE MOVE by iHeartMedia comes as key Hollywood players come to grips with rapid advances in AI.

(RICHARD SHOTWELL Invision)

As media executives wrestle with the use of artificial intelligence, radio giant iHeartMedia wants to stand out.

"We don’t use AI-generated personalities. We don’t play AI music that features synthetic vocalists pretending to be human," Tom Poleman, the company’s programming chief, wrote in an email to employees.

"The podcasts we publish are also Guaranteed Human," he wrote.

Radio station DJs now are expected to say “Guaranteed Human,” as part of their hourly on-air disclosures, which include announcing the station's call letters, as required by the Federal Communications Commission. The new branding campaign has its roots in iHeartMedia’s research that listeners turn on the radio for more than just music and information.

"Consumers aren't just looking for content, they're looking for connection,” the company’s president of insights, Lainie Fertick, wrote in an October blog post. “In a world of tech overload, consumers are searching for something real.”