NextKast has announced its NextAI virtual hosting platform, which includes a library of AI-based voices for use on the air.
The software developer said the AI solution integrates directly with its OnAir broadcast automation software. In addition to NextAI’s own voice repository, the software also supports what NextCast calls custom voice cloning.
A company spokesperson told Radio World the voice cloning feature first samples about 30 seconds of a participant’s voice, with text provided by NextAI. The software subsequently generates an ID based on the sample and the custom voice can then be assigned to a specified time slot or program.
NextKast made available a video demo of NextAI, including several breaks where its AI-based voices can be heard, in the following YouTube video:
Wilson Potgieter, NextKast’s founder, said in a release that stations who use NextAI should be “completely transparent” with listeners that the host is AI-generated. But he added that the virtual hosting solution “can help radio stations with those hard-to-fill hours that won’t replace human hosts.”
The company said participating stations receive unlimited hosting time for NextAI, with voice and data API charges billed directly from NextKast’s partners.
