An AI radio DJ for the hours when nobody's on air

Should your station have one?

Yes, if your problem is silence between songs at hours nobody can cover. No, if people tune in for the person talking. Most stations are a mix, so decide hour by hour.

What it will say, and what it won't

Between songs it can tell listeners what they just heard, what's coming up and what time it is, and it keeps saying your station's name. Three boxes control the first three: Say what just played, Say what is next and Say the time.

It won't invent news, weather, prizes or facts, and it only speaks at the end of a song, so it never talks over the music or a live DJ. Its settings cover the songs, the time and your station, so don't expect conversation or local talk. For that, you need a person.

Choose a voice that fits the music

There are 11 voices, four styles (Warm, Energetic, Smooth and News) and a choice of language. A Smooth voice suits a late-night lounge station. An Energetic one at 3 AM doesn't.

The Personality box takes 300 characters, so write how it should sound rather than a biography. For example: "Calm, friendly, a bit dry. Speaks to one person, not a crowd. Never hypes a song."

• Spell out awkward names. Under Station name as spoken, write it in words, such as "One Oh Five Five The King", and it will always say it that way.
• Think before you give it a DJ name. It's optional. A human-sounding name makes it easier to mistake for a person, so if you use one, choose something that doesn't belong to a real presenter.
• Use your previews. Hear a preview writes and reads one link without putting it on air, up to 5 times an hour. Play them next to a song from your library, because a voice that's fine alone can sound wrong beside your music.

How often should it speak?

Start at the bottom of the range and earn your way up. How often runs from once an hour to 6 times an hour. We have no study to quote on the right number, so this is our reasoning: with only a few things to say, a voice that speaks often repeats itself sooner, and repetition is what makes synthetic talk grate.

Live with once an hour for a week and then listen to an hour of it yourself. Under On air between, you can also confine it to the hours you actually can't cover, in your station's time zone. Put the same time in both boxes only if you really want it on all day.

Tell your listeners what they're hearing

Do it, even where no rule says you must: it costs one sentence. Put a line on your station page, and have your own recorded ID say it now and then: "Overnights on this station are hosted by our AI presenter."

Some rules are already in force. In Australia, the Commercial Radio Code of Practice, which took effect on 1 July 2026, requires commercial broadcast stations to tell listeners when a regularly scheduled program or news program is hosted by a synthetic voice. The disclosure can air during the program or appear on the station's website or social media. AAP reports that it doesn't cover streaming, though the regulator's chair says broadcasters should add AI disclaimers there voluntarily. The EU's AI Act has a transparency article, Article 50, which has applied since 2 August 2026 and covers synthetic audio in some cases. Makers of generative tools already on the market have until 2 December 2026 to mark their output. We can't tell you whether an AI presenter on your station falls within it.

Treat this as a starting point rather than legal advice. Rules depend on where you are, where your audience is and what kind of station you run, and they're changing quickly. If your station is a business, ask a lawyer who knows your country.

Keep it off your live and talk shows

It stays out of a live DJ's way by itself, but your scheduled shows need one careful look. It keeps quiet for the whole of a scheduled event show unless you tick that show under Talk during these scheduled shows. The catch is that the shows your Schedule tab plays in a time slot are listed there too, already ticked, so the AI DJ will talk in those until you untick them.

Go through the list once and untick every talk program, then tick only the music shows where a link helps. It mentions the show by name there. If a show is greyed out, the line under it says what's missing, usually an end time in the schedule.

Switch it on and check its work

1. On Platinum, open the Voice tracks tab and click Turn on. The AI DJ speaks through voice tracking. Auto DJ restarts once, so choose a quiet moment.
2. Open the AI DJ tab and fill in the voice, style, language, personality and hours.
3. Tick what it should mention, then go through the shows list.
4. Preview a few links.
5. Turn on The AI DJ is on air and click Save AI DJ. Its first link goes out within a few minutes, at the end of a song.
6. Read Recent links the next day. It lists what was said on air, and the reason when a link didn't air.

The radio dashboard guide covers these settings alongside the rest of the panel. The AI DJ comes with Platinum radio hosting, and it speaks at the end of songs, so load your Auto DJ library first.

Questions people ask

Will it read the news or the weather?

No. It won't invent news, weather, prizes or facts. If you want a bulletin or a forecast on air, Production can make one on Premium and Platinum, using your own OpenAI or ElevenLabs account, and it goes into your library for Auto DJ to play.

Can it talk in a language other than English?

You choose a language in the AI DJ tab, along with the voice and style. Preview a few links before going on air, and have a native speaker listen if you can, particularly for your station's name.

Will listeners stay longer with an AI presenter?

We can't tell you that, and we'd be wary of anyone who says they can. Use your own audience stats: compare the hours before and after, and turn it off if they don't improve.