Will.i.am Launches Interactive AI-Driven Radio App

Singer, songwriter and technology entrepreneur Will.i.am has launched a new AI-powered interactive, conversational media platform called RAiDiO.FYI.

The app-based platform hosts radio shows that harness AI to allow listeners to customize content and discover new music, personalize topics, ask questions and talk with AI radio personas.

Using natural conversational language, listeners can interrupt the AI host to ask for more information about what they’re listening to, such as “Who produced this song?” and receive a real-time response. They can also ask questions about news and current events.

Radio stations can also be customized in the app by curating specific news and topics listeners want to hear, with stations focused on fashion, pop culture and finance. There are also AI personas that reflect different cultures.

The app, launched this week through Will.i.am’s creative tech company FYI, also includes location-based personalization to assist people depending on where they are or where they’re going, such as where the nearest convenience store is.

At a recent event to officially launch RAiDiO.FYI Will.i.am demonstrated the platform, including its interactive features.

“How many times do you listen to the radio and you got questions based on what was broadcast and you wish you could have a conversation about what you heard on that broadcast?” he said at the event.

Related:Will.i.am Funds AI Powered Music App That Generates Songs From Texts

FYI said the debut of this innovation for radio marks a landmark moment in the evolution of the 110-year-old medium “akin to the shift from using a traditional telephone vs. smartphone.”

The company added that because audiences now have multiple pathways to get their music, news and information via radio, streaming services and podcasts, the introduction of RAiDiO.FYI comes at the right time to harness AI and allow listeners to customize content to their liking and discover new music on their own terms.

The app can be accessed for free through the FYI.AI app on iPhone and Android smartphones.