Carrie Bickmore and Tommy Little blast radio bosses over 'AI-generated' farewell tribute packed with fake achievements

Carrie Bickmore and Tommy Little have taken a swipe at their own radio bosses after discovering a farewell statement celebrating their decade on air appeared to credit them with a string of achievements that never actually happened.

The departing Hit Network stars returned to the airwaves on Thursday, just one day after revealing their long-running drive show would come to an end later this year.

But instead of reflecting solely on their nearly 10-year run, the pair used part of the broadcast to ridicule a company tribute that they claimed was riddled with errors.

Tommy, 41, suggested the tribute was so inaccurate it may have been pieced together using artificial intelligence.

'A press release was put out by our esteemed network after we did the announcement on-air that the show was finishing up,' he told listeners.

'It thanked us for our 10 years of service, and then it started to take a bit of a turn.'

The first red flag came when the statement reportedly referred to Carrie's beloved Beanies for Brain Cancer charity campaign as 'Brian cancer'. 

'I should point out I try to raise money for brain cancer, not just Brian's cancers,' she joked.

'I don't specially focus on Brian's.'

As the duo continued reading through the tribute, they discovered they had apparently been recognised for taking part in an 'icy Tassie lake plunge' despite having no memory of the event.

'"Braving their icy Tassie lake plunge" ... was I there for that?' Tommy laughed.

'I don't remember ever doing a Tassie lake plunge... because we've never done that.'

The biggest laugh came when the statement hailed the pair's supposedly 'legendary mystery bus tours'.

Carrie, 45, admitted even she had no idea what her employers were talking about.

'Obviously, our annual roast, which has been great, and our "legendary mystery bus tours"... I certainly missed that one. That was a mystery to me,' she said.

The hosts and producers then jokingly tried to work out just how many mystery bus tours they'd supposedly undertaken for them to earn 'legendary' status, before confirming the answer was none.

Tommy appeared particularly frustrated that genuine achievements failed to make the cut while imaginary ones were given the spotlight.

'We gave away a million dollars and that didn't get a mention, but our legendary mystery bus tours that never happened did,' he said.

Convinced there had to be an explanation, Tommy decided to run his own experiment and ask ChatGPT what the radio pair were best known for, which only deepened his suspicions.

According to the comedian, the AI-generated response also referenced the mysterious Tasmanian lake plunge and bus tours, leading him to theorise someone inside the company may have relied on AI while drafting the farewell tribute.

'Someone from our company has gone, "Hang on, we're gonna jazz this up",' Tommy joked.

'"They're not just popular, they are legendary."'

An Instagram clip of the pair mocking the statement was also reportedly removed after racking up more than 125,000 views.

The corresponding podcast episode also appears to have been removed from the Listnr platform.

After almost a decade on the air together, the hosts of the Carrie & Tommy show are calling time on the drivetime program, with the pair breaking the news to their fans on Wednesday.

The high-rating, long-running series, which is the third most-listened-to network radio program in Australia, is expected to wrap up by year's end.

While Carrie, 45, is preparing to join KIIS FM's national Drive lineup, sources suggest the move was not necessarily part of a long-planned departure from Southern Cross Austereo.

Instead, industry insiders claim the former Project star began exploring opportunities with rival broadcasters after learning that the future of Carrie & Tommy was in jeopardy.

The Daily Mail understands Carrie had been spotted visiting ARN's Melbourne offices in recent months, prompting speculation among staff that the television and radio personality could be preparing to make a move. 

Amid mounting speculation over Carrie's next move, sources claim co-host Tommy is not expected to join her at ARN if she lands a new national Drive show.

However, several production staff could follow Carrie to a new network.

The show's cancellation is also said to have blindsided staff, who had spent weeks seeking clarity from management and remained hopeful of securing new contracts before learning Carrie & Tommy would not return. 

The show's axing followed months of uncertainty, with staff reportedly left in the dark about their futures and frustrated by a lack of communication.

Sources claim some team members were disappointed by the handling of the announcement and had hoped for more time to process the news before it became public.

Industry insiders say the fallout may reflect broader changes across commercial radio, with growing concerns that major networks are becoming increasingly reluctant to invest in costly talent-led programming following the merger between Southern Cross Austereo and Seven West Media. 

Several industry insiders believe the decision also reflects wider cost-cutting pressures across commercial radio in the aftermath of the merger. 

Sources claim executives are increasingly scrutinising expensive talent-led programs, with high-profile shows costing more than $1million per year facing greater pressure to justify their budgets. 

While no further shake-ups have been announced, the axing of Carrie & Tommy has fuelled speculation that other long-running radio shows, including Fifi, Fev & Nick, could also come under review.