A “No AI” Pledge

July 9th, 2023

Artificial Intelligence is taking the world by storm. In a very short time, it’s been adopted by everyone from businesses to consumers, and usage increases every day. But there is one place you’ll never hear AI—that place is KVNO.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for technological progress and innovation that help us get our work done, and if you’re a KVNO donor, we know you want to see us work efficiently and make use of those business tools and processes that save us money.

But there’s a huge difference in using AI for productivity and other tasks that don’t require a human touch (like creating spreadsheets and doing math) and communication that goes out over the airwaves.

The instruments we use—microphones, transmission lines, transmitters—are lifeless until we, humans, animate them. Until we bring our souls, our humanity, our gift of self to communicate to you, listening on the other end.

AI can still send sound down those electronic pathways, but it can never replace the warmth, the true emotion, or the empathy humans bring to the process, nor can it ever replace the connection that happens between two people. It may impart information that is useful, but the charm and success of radio (or audio in general) goes far beyond just imparting information. Its magic is in the intimacy of the medium and the companionship it provides no matter how you listen.

Every time a KVNO classical music host opens the mic and speaks into it, we bring that humanity with us, pouring ourselves into every word with the goal of making a connection with you.

You don’t hear the phrase “gift of self” used very often today. It can be seen as an outdated or even quaint idea. But it’s exactly what I see, hear and know to be the goal of every KVNO classical host. And it’s something you’ll never get with AI.