In commemoration of this year’s World Radio Day,the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO) and Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) have argued that amid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the role of radio cannot be over emphasised.

Themed, ‘Radio and AI’, UNESCO noted radio stands at a moment of transformation where AI could help strengthen its core mission: informing, educating, and entertaining.

By automating routine tasks—like scheduling, voice-tracking, weather and sports updates, and administrative workflows, the organisation said stations could free teams to focus on creativity and connection.

According to the global body, AI isn’t just a challenge to navigate; it’s a chance to reimagine radio with care, creativity, and connection. “It invites us to dream bigger, reach further, and honour listeners’ time, intelligence and expectations.”

The body noted that AI is a tool, not a voice. It could help radio blossom in thoughtful ways: “Ease and flow, letting technology take care of the routine tasks, such as scheduling, voice-tracking, daily weather or sports updates, administrative chores, so your team can focus on what truly matters: inform, educate and entertain.

“Meaningful growth, understanding your audience more deeply, connecting ads to listener needs, improving revenue.

“Listener empowerment, helping every listener feel included, offering personalised experiences, real-time interaction, and space for under-represented voices that deserve to be heard.

“Quality content, using AI to support fact-checking, source verification, rediscovery of archival richness and increased factuality, while keeping human judgment at the centre.”

To make the most of AI, radio broadcasters need more than tools – they need a strategy. That means: Clear, caring policies and internal guardrails for ethical AI use; Respect for privacy, intellectual property, data ownership and transparency; Careful use of generative audio (like AI music, voice cloning, deepfake audio, etc.); Investment in people; their skills, growth, collaborations; Legal and security checks to manage emerging risks, data storage and transfer, liabilities, etc.

UNESCO gives radio stations the resources to build confidence in how AI is used, all while preserving the warmth and reliability that audiences cherish.

To the body, “with tools that enhance fact checking, validation, and archival discovery, radio can deliver higher quality content while maintaining human judgment at the center. These innovations ultimately reinforce what matters most: listener trust.”

Saying AI can drive the next wave of media innovation, the body suggestedto use AI responsibly, broadcasters need thoughtful strategy rather than just technology, which includes creating ethical internal policies, protecting privacy and data ownership, ensuring transparency, and handling generative audio with care.

In addition, they added, “this also means investing in staff skills and collaboration and putting legal and security safeguards in place to manage emerging risks.”
Speaking in a similar vein, NBC Director General, Charles Ebuebu, noted, AI is now used in broadcasting to analyse data, suggest content, automate production, and generate reports, making radio faster and more efficient.

Insisting AI must remain supporting tool and, not replacement for the human voice, he argued, “radio is more than sound; it carries emotion, culture, empathy, and human understanding. Broadcasters bring experience and moral judgment to ensure information is accurate, balanced, and responsible.

Machines can process data, but they cannot fully grasp human feelings, community values, or ethical consequences.”

As stations adopt AI tools,he suggested, “transparency, accountability, and truth in broadcasting must be safeguarded. Journalists and media professionals must stay in control, using AI to enhance their work without allowing it to dominate or mislead audiences. Human oversight is essential to prevent misinformation and protect the integrity of news.

“The National Broadcasting Commission, therefore, calls on broadcasters, policymakers, and listeners to embrace innovation wisely. Let us ensure that AI strengthens radio without silencing the human voice that gives it meaning. By uniting technology with human responsibility, radio will continue to inspire trust, foster unity and serve society faithfully in the digital,” he said.

CEMESO Executive Director, Akin Akingbulu, observed radio’s enduring relevance lies in its human core—presenters who embody community identity, producers who understand cultural nuances, and journalists, who earn trust through consistent presence.

To him, “AI must not displace this inheritance; it must serve it. It should augment radio’s public service role, not hollow it out. Innovation that silences local voice or weakens editorial independence is not progress—it is regression.”

CEMESO, therefore, called for coordinated and responsible action. He said policymakers must use the ongoing review of Nigeria’s broadcasting framework to modernise regulation for digital convergence.

While easing disproportionate licensing and compliance burdens on non-profit and community stations; broadcasters must commit to transparent and ethical AI deployment, investing in retraining and upskilling workers rather than discarding them; development partners and donors must recognise radio not merely as a delivery channel, but as a strategic democratic institution worthy of sustained investment, including support that makes AI tools affordable and accessible for under-resourced stations; civil society and media organisations must continue to defend press freedom, because without editorial independence and public trust, no technology can safeguard radio’s democratic function.

General Manager Cool FM/ Wazobia FM, Femi Obong-Daniels, who spoke at the WSCIJ conversation stated, “AI can generate voice, but AI can’t generate trust. Innovation must sit on the foundation of credibility Radio provides verification and context. Nigeria has young demography and there must be a blend of youthful creativity and editorial discipline ”