will.i.am Announces SiriusXM Show With AI Co-Host
Over the years, will.i.am has hopped on nearly every new technological trend. He’s been a judge on a hologram singing competition, he’s made a Bluetooth face mask, he’s developed a voice assistant, he became the strategic adviser of a digital bank, he unveiled wireless headphones that looked like stethoscopes, he’s pitched a reality series about apps, he’s voiced his concerns about 3D printers printing people, he even became a hologram himself way back in 2008. Phew. will.i.am’s latest venture into the technology du jour is, of course, artificial intelligence.
will.i.am has just announced that he’ll launch an AI-themed radio show on SiriusXM, per The Hollywood Reporter. Will.i.am Presents The FYI Show will debut on January 25 and air weekly at 9PM ET, and will.i.am will be joined by an AI co-host named qd.pi (“cutie pie”).
“I didn’t want to just do a traditional show, I wanted to bring tomorrow close to today, and so I wanted to have my co-host be an AI,” will.i.am told THR. “I’m ultra-freaking colorful and expressive. [Qd.pi is] ultra-freaking factual and analytical. And that combination, we ain’t seen in the history of freaking broadcasts anywhere.”
qd.pi even answered a couple questions: “My ability to quickly access and process information is definitely one of the unique advantages that I bring to the show,” it said. “I can provide quick insights and context on a wide range of topics and people, which can be really valuable in a live conversation. It definitely sets me apart from a traditional host who would need to do a lot of research and prep work in advance.”
Will.i.am Presents The FYI Show‘s first guests will include Xzibit and Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. The qd.pi technology is powered by FYI, an AI app that will.i.am helped launch last year.