Hold up there Cowboy! You may want to save money by using A.I., but listeners don’t like fake. Radio Ink reports a study by Sounds Profitable showed listeners tuned out when they suspected AI-generated content. Nearly half of those surveyed said they’d probably stop listening if the content was presented by AI voices. Just about 20% of those questioned said they’d check it out.

And get this, people with higher education degrees were even more likely to say, uh, no thanks. 37% without a high school diploma would hold off, compared to 49% who had post-graduate degrees. It was mostly about taking jobs away from folks in creative industries. Take audiobooks as an example, listeners are less and less interested in AI narration, year over year.

Sadly, for those of us employed by radio companies, managers are using AI more and more these days. Radio Ink reports Audacy started last year with the creation of a library of AI voices. And Saga Communications has been using AI voices and production for station imaging. And the now infamous use of Alpha Media’s “AI Ashley” who was fired from Portland’s Live 95.5 when Connoisseur Media took over.

It’s hard to deny the use, at least in a google search situation it’s pretty handy. But over 60 percent of people in this survey were concerned the technology would eat up more jobs than it would create, especially in creative industries where it used to be thought humans were irreplaceable. Jacobs Media reported last year in one of their surveys, over a third of respondents who identified as on-air talent said they were concerned about losing their jobs.