Could AI present CrowdScience?

Could AI present CrowdScience?

From CrowdScience by BBC World Service

March 27, 2026 · 26 min

About this episode

The episode explores the potential of AI to replace human jobs and whether AI could present the show CrowdScience.

CrowdScience listener Po wants to know whether AI could one day replace all human jobs. And while he requests that CrowdScience continues to be hosted by people, it made presenters Caroline Steel and Anand Jagatia wonder – could an AI really present this show? To find out more about how AI models work and what they’re capable of, Caroline Steel speaks to AI journalist Alex Hern from The Economist. She creates an AI version of herself with Nicky Birch, Innovation Lead for the BBC’s generative AI program, and hears how the BBC is attempting to navigate the ethical use of this new technology. Anand Jagatia speaks to phonetician Prof James Kirby about how synthetic AI voices have become so convincing, as well as why they still sound slightly unnatural. And Anand and Caroline ponder whether there could ever be a place for AI presenters on the airwaves. Presenters: Caroline Steel and Anand Jagatia Producer: Anand Jagatia Additional production: Lorna Stewart Editor: Ben Motley (Photo: Mirror image of presenter Caroline holding microphone Credit: BBC)

People in this episode

Hosts: Anand Jagatia, Ben Motley

Guests: Alex Hern, Prof James Kirby

Topics covered

  • AI
  • jobs
  • ethics
  • synthetic voices

Keywords

  • CrowdScience
  • BBC
  • generative AI
  • phonetician

Mentioned in this episode

Products: AI models, synthetic voices

Books & works: CrowdScience

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