Warner Music CEO Robert Kyncl warns of AI's threat to trust at Paley Center Honors

A speech shaped by history

Robert Kyncl, CEO of Warner Music Group, accepted the Paley Center for Media's highest honor on May 14 at the organization's 2026 spring gala, held at the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan. According to Billboard, Kyncl drew on his upbringing in Czechoslovakia, where he listened to Radio Free Europe under the Iron Curtain, to frame a broader argument about why trust in media matters now more than ever.

"In the world of abundance and our inability to discern what's real and what's not with the naked eye, what will become of the utmost importance is trust," Kyncl told attendees. He specifically called out the risks AI poses to "artists and songwriters" if the tools are deployed without provenance built in.

Josh Groban reflects on 25 years

Before the award was presented, Josh Groban took the stage to speak about Kyncl's leadership. Groban, who has been with Warner Records for 25 years and has released 10 albums, recounted how he was signed at 16 after David Foster put him on stage with Celine Dion at a Grammy rehearsal. "I was not the most obvious signing," he admitted, but credited the label for taking a chance on him. He holds three No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200.

Other honorees

Alongside Kyncl, Vivendi CEO Arnaud de Puyfontaine and Charlie's Angels stars Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith also received Paley Center Honors Awards. Co-star Cheryl Ladd was not present but sent a note that her former castmates read aloud.

The Paley Center, headquartered in New York City with a branch in Los Angeles, holds an archive of more than 160,000 TV shows, radio programs, and commercials. The gala functions as a fundraiser for the institution.