Liechtenstein replaces public broadcaster with AI-run radio station

Liechtenstein has replaced its defunct public broadcaster with Radio Vaterland, a station entirely run by artificial intelligence that writes news and uses cloned voices of editors. The AI also composes the music mix without human intervention. The station emerged after a 2024 referendum favored privatizing the public broadcaster, which proved financially unfeasible, leading to its closure and 25 job losses. Founder Daniel Bargetze says the AI model draws from his newspaper's articles and operates at a fraction of the former broadcaster's cost, though its market share remains lower. The technology was first used on Germany's Helgoland island, and its software is now sold to other stations. Critics like former public broadcaster employee Michel Erismann argue AI radio lacks human contact and emotion, while his request for government funding has been denied.