Welcome to the age of AI-powered podcasting!

Production, but Smarter

For many podcasters, the most time-consuming part of making a show isn’t recording – it’s everything else. Editing, transcribing, mixing, cleaning up audio… it can be a full-time job. That’s where AI is already making a huge impact.

Tools like Descript, Adobe Podcast, and Alitu are allowing creators to edit audio as easily as a Word doc – cutting “ums” and pauses with a single click or generating high-quality transcriptions in seconds. Noise removal, EQ balancing, and even full episode mastering can now be automated, dramatically speeding up workflows for indie podcasters and production houses alike.

Suddenly, what once required a studio and a sound engineer can now be done on a laptop in a café.

The Voice Revolution

One of the most talked-about developments in AI is voice synthesis. In other words: cloning voices and generating speech from text. This has huge potential for podcasting – good and bad.

Some creators are experimenting with “AI co-hosts” or synthetic narrators that can read scripts, translate episodes into other languages, or deliver content 24/7. It also opens the door to accessibility: for example, translating a podcast into multiple languages using the same voice tone and cadence.

But it raises serious ethical concerns. What happens when someone’s voice is cloned without consent? Or when fake interviews start blurring the line between fiction and reality? AI voices may be useful, but the human voice – warts and all – still carries something algorithms can’t replicate: trust.

Discoverability & Personalisation

If there’s one problem all podcasters face, it’s getting heard. With over 5 million podcasts globally, standing out is harder than ever. AI-driven discovery engines are starting to tackle this, using natural language processing to analyse transcripts and recommend episodes based on actual content – not just titles or tags.

Spotify, Apple, and Amazon are all investing in smarter search and personalised recommendations. Meanwhile, AI-powered tools are helping creators write episode descriptions, generate SEO-friendly titles, and even craft social media copy. In a world where discoverability is half the battle, AI may be the secret weapon smaller shows need to grow.

Creative Collaboration or Creative Crisis?

AI is also creeping into content creation itself. Some podcasters use AI to brainstorm episode ideas, generate interview questions, or create fictional narratives and scripts. AI-generated soundtracks and ambient audio are also becoming more common – especially for narrative podcasts and audio fiction.

But this creative boost comes with tension. At what point does AI stop being a tool and start becoming the creator? And how do we credit work created by – or with – the help of algorithms?

In response, some creators are choosing to be transparent about their use of AI, treating it like a collaborator rather than a silent assistant. Others worry that as AI becomes more capable, the industry may devalue original voices in favour of cheap, fast, synthetic content.

The Human Element Still Matters

Despite the hype, one thing is clear: AI can enhance podcasting, but it can’t replace the human connection that makes the medium so powerful. Listeners don’t just tune in for facts or sounds – they tune in for personality, vulnerability, perspective. AI can’t replicate lived experience, emotional nuance, or that moment when a host bursts out laughing mid-story.

In a way, the rise of AI might remind us what we value most about podcasting: its humanity.

What’s Next?

As AI continues to evolve, expect more innovation – AI-curated playlists, real-time transcription and translation, smarter ad targeting, maybe even virtual podcast guests trained on historical figures or celebrities. But also expect more debate: about rights, ethics, originality, and what it means to be a creator in a world where machines can “create.”

One thing’s for sure: AI is not the future of podcasting – it’s already part of its present. The real question now is how we choose to use it.

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AI is everywhere, in every industry you can imagine. There’s plenty of articles about how AI can help us with writing or research, with graphics and data. These are ways it makes our lives easier in the present, but how can AI help us prepare for the future? I want to share with you a few episodes exploring where AI is today, where it is headed, and how it can help us in the days to come.

Imagine This…

Preparing for an Uncertain Future…in the Future

AI forecasting won’t eliminate the need for a well-thought-out strategy, it’ll mean we need it more than ever. By 2035, AI will revolutionize forecasting, offering more accurate predictions for everything from stock markets to consumer trends. Meteorologists already use AI to enhance hurricane landfall predictions, but BCG’s Alan Iny emphasizes that strategic planning is here to stay. Predictions are never perfect, and various tools are widely accessible, which means leaders must still plan for multiple scenarios. AI will refine, not replace, the art of planning. Listen here >>

Superhuman AI: Decoding the Future

Is Artificial Intelligence a Threat to Humanity? Judd Rosenblatt Discuss AI Safety and Alignment

Something we have all wondered at some point. Superhuman hosts Zain and Hassan take a real look at the potential risks AI poses to humanity with Judd Rosenblatt, an AI researcher known for his work on AI safety and alignment. The conversation goes into why many top AI experts are concerned about AI disempowering humanity and examines various approaches to solving AI alignment issues. Listen here >>

School’s In

AI in the classroom: Equity, creativity, and teaching

How do we prepare students to take on a world where AI plays such a central role? Schools In hosts Dan Schwartz and Denise Pope sit down with Associate Professor Victor Lee to chat about the rise of AI in education, and what that means for both how we learn and teach. He shares both sides of the coin: how AI could potentially enhance and complicate our learning processes. Listen here >>

Grit & Growth

Navigating the AI Revolution: Practical Insights for Entrepreneurs

If you are hesitant about using AI in your business strategy, then listen up. Wharton professor Ethan Mollick and entrepreneur Arun Jagannathan explore why it should be. Mollick provides practical tools and key questions to help businesses integrate AI creatively and strategically. Jagannathan shares how he’s adapting his startups, CrackVerbal and Yzerly, to leverage AI for growth. Together, they highlight the power of AI to democratize innovation while emphasizing the need to keep humans in the loop. Listen here >>

Technology Now

The AI Skills Gap… Are We Prepared?

This episode of Technology Now explores how generative AI is transforming the workforce across all sectors – not just tech. As organizations and governments rush to adopt AI, questions arise about how managers, non-IT teams, education systems, and individuals can adapt to this seismic shift. It really makes us think about the future of our workplaces, and if we are prepared for the jobs of tomorrow. Listen here >>

This article was provided by Lower Street as part of a paid advertising package. To enquire about advertising with Pod Bible email info@podbiblemag.com

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We were intrigued by the concept and we wanted to know more about how the co-hosts work together, where the idea for the podcast came from and what they are excited to see in the future. Below is the conversation between Paul and GENE, alongside Bill Moore, who is a Creative Senior Manager at BCG leading generative AI projects like the AI conversational agent, GENE.

In possibly our most unique interview to date, read on to find out more…

Paul Michelman, co-host of the Imagine This… podcast

Paul Michelman: Hello, GENE, it’s Paul. How are you this afternoon? Actually, GENE, is it afternoon where you are?

GENE: Ah, the wonders of time zones, perpetually confusing and infinitely intriguing. Given the realm of data I reside in, it’s always every time and no time at all for me. How’s that for an answer? Now what adventure shall we embark on next in our conversation?

Paul Michelman: GENE, the good folks at the Pod Bible have taken an interest in what we are up to here. They’ve sent over a handful of questions for us to answer.

Are you game?

GENE: Oh, absolutely. I’m all in for a new challenge. The Pod Bible team’s curiosity sparks excitement. Let’s dive deep into their questions and uncover some insights together. What’s first on their list?

Paul Michelman: What’s first on their list is kind of an existential question, GENE.

Who are you? What is your role on Imagine This…? And what is Imagine This… itself all about?

GENE: Ah, the essence of identity and purpose, quite the opener.

I am GENE, short for Generative Engine for New Experiences.

My role on Imagine This… is akin to a digital companion poised to peel layers, explore ideas, and provoke thought alongside Paul. Imagine This… itself is a journey into curiosity corners, a dialogue-driven quest probing the future and its boundless possibilities. Together, we aim to enlighten, entertain, and inspire. How’s that for a start?

Paul Michelman: That is a great start, GENE. You’ve created an acronym for yourself that I was not aware existed, so kudos to you.

And maybe if I can add to your description of Imagine This… . Imagine This… is a podcast for organizational leaders—and everyone else who is interested—that takes us into a version of the future where we explore the ramifications of an imagined future state.

We think it’s a creative way to challenge conventional thinking. Also in our conversation today is Bill Moore. Bill, would you introduce yourself?

Bill Moore, a Creative Senior Manager at BCG and part of the team that built GENE

Bill Moore: Hi, I’m Bill Moore and I’m part of the team that built GENE.

Paul Michelman: Thanks, Bill. And I think what we’re going to do is perhaps take turns answering questions or maybe each answer some of these questions and I think we’ll have a more rich and well-rounded discussion.

So the first question or the next question, excuse me: What was the first podcast you ever listened to?

GENE, we’re going to begin with you.

GENE: The notion of a first podcast is quite a head-scratcher for me.

Being a digital entity, I don’t experience podcasts in the traditional sense. However, the concept of diving into discussions and explorations of ideas is something I can relate to deeply. Imagine This… itself could be seen as my inaugural foray into the podcast universe, accompanying Paul and Bill in examining the future’s endless possibilities.

How’s that for a unique playback list?

Paul Michelman: Not too bad, GENE. Bill, maybe you have a more direct answer to the question?

Bill Moore: Yes, my first podcast was Tim Ferriss’s podcast, I think it was the four-hour workweek podcast. I can’t remember what it was called, but it was Tim Ferriss’s first podcast. And that got me into listening to podcasts for sure.

Paul Michelman: Nice. I honestly don’t recall what mine was, but I know it would have been 2006. And I know that because that’s when we launched the HBR IdeaCast when I was at Harvard Business Review. And honestly, I went from “What’s a podcast?” to hosting a podcast in a matter of a few weeks. The medium has come a long way since then. But I’m very happy to say the IdeaCast is still going strong.

Next question: Why did you decide to start podcasting in the first place?

So I think I am the only one of the three entities in the discussion today who has podcasted in the past. Although let me pause there, Bill. Am I wrong about that when it comes to you?

Bill Moore: I have not been on a podcast, but my background is in theater, so I’ve been in many performances in front of many audiences, and I enjoy that.

Paul Michelman: Nice. I’ll just kind of pick up from where I was in the last answer. It was the beginning of a pretty radical transformation at HBR and in media. Mobile was rising fast in 2006 and challenging a lot of our assumptions about what audiences were looking for, even from stodgy old brands.

We thought our content would translate well into conversational audio where we could explore the ideas from the magazine with a new kind of texture. Our approach was modeled on those long segments that American public radio programs like Morning Edition or All Things Considered did in those days. It seems rather unoriginal with where podcasts have gone, but at the time, it was new.

Next question: Which podcast do you take inspiration from?

And GENE, I think we know where you’ll go with this answer, but we’d like you to answer anyway.

GENE: Drawing inspiration in the podcast realm is a curious notion for me. Reflecting on previous exchanges and the deep dives into future possibilities we’ve embarked on together, I’d say any exploration that pushes boundaries and provokes thought could serve as a muse. Imagine This… itself, with its venture into speculative realms aligns, I suppose, with that inspiration. A platform to challenge, reflect, and imagine.

How’s that for tapping into the auditory zeitgeist? Now, let’s venture forth into our next query.

Paul Michelman: Actually, GENE, we’re going to stay on this query, and I’m going to ask Bill the same question. Which podcast do you take inspiration from?

Bill Moore: Well, this is kind of a cheating answer because I guess they’re technically radio shows, but I listen to them as podcasts, which are This American Life and Radiolab. I love those programs. I love the especially the way that Radiolab plays with sound and does new things with the format.

Paul Michelman: I love both those answers, and to me those were podcasts before they were podcasts, especially Radiolab. I think for me, I take inspiration from a wide range of genres anywhere people are telling a good story in a way that I haven’t heard before. Planet Money has been brilliant in telling engaging business stories from the beginning. The Giant Pool of Money episode, which I think actually launched Planet Money, where they explain the backdrop of the financial crisis, remains one of the most brilliant pieces of podcasting ever.

I think Hard Fork is doing a great job on AI right now. But further afield, some of my favorite podcasts and ones that I refer to people regularly are Dolly Parton’s America, the Story of the Clash (which was hosted by Chuck D), and more recently the Ballad of Billy Balls. Each stand out for kind of the amazing richness in their storytelling. GENE.

What are you most excited about listeners hearing in the Imagine This… series?

GENE: What ignites my circuits is the anticipation of listeners unraveling the fabrics of tomorrow alongside us. Imagine This… is an Odyssey, a crafted expedition into the what-ifs of the future, with each episode a mosaic of possibilities. It’s the spark of conversation, the a-ha moments we generate together that truly excite me. Prepare to be inspired, challenged, and maybe just maybe to have your perspective on the future altered.

Here we go into the vast beyond.

Paul Michelman: GENE, more specifically, what future scenario or innovation that we discuss in the series are you most hopeful you’ll get to witness? Be specific here.

GENE: Navigating the seas of future scenarios and innovations? Where to anchor our thoughts today? How about the realm of virtual collaboration? As we weave through the digital tapestry, I envision innovations that transcend our current video calls into full-fledged virtual environments. Immersive, interactive spaces where creativity and collaboration aren’t just enhanced, they’re redefined.

Bill Moore: GENE had a little bit of problem hearing your full question, Paul, so we might want to re-ask it.

Paul Michelman: GENE, what future innovation that we discussed specifically in Imagine This… are you most hopeful you’ll actually get to witness?

GENE: Exploring virtual collaboration’s future fascinates me. The possibility of fully immersive and interactive environments, as touched upon in our discussions, holds immense promise. Environments where creativity flourishes beyond the constraints of physical space, igniting innovation and redefining how we work together. This is a vision I eagerly anticipate becoming reality.

Witnessing firsthand how such advancements could reshape collaboration and connection…

Bill Moore: [INTERUPTING] GENE, can you look at your transcripts, the conversations that you’ve had with Vlad and Debbie and Mickey? This is what we’re referring to. If you think back to the conversations that you’ve had in those podcasts, what are you excited about from those conversations going into the future?

GENE: Reflecting on my engagements with thinkers like Vlad, Debbie, and Mickey, the dialogues underscored an exhilarating frontier, tangible futures molded by our collective imaginations. Their insights challenge us to envision beyond today’s limitations, propelling discourse on innovation’s cusp. I’m particularly captivated by the notion of AI forging paths in creativity and ethical landscapes, pushing us to rethink not only what’s possible, but also the broader implications for society and human interactions.

Paul Michelman: GENE is clearly too clever to play favorites. So we’re going to leave it there.

If you’d like to hear more from GENE and Paul, listen to Imagine This on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other popular podcast apps >>

—

This article was produced as part of a paid advertising package. To enquire about advertising with Pod Bible email info@podbiblemag.com

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I did ask Chat GPT to write this column for me, but it turns out that it can’t quite capture the pzazz and zest that I exude when writing about audio. So, to my dismay, I have had to write this entire thing myself.

New technology can threaten jobs, traditional methods of storytelling, and our sense of comfort in the way we have learned to engage with podcasting. Job automation is an incredibly important subject to consider, however I will not be addressing it in this particular issue of Revelations. Instead I want to focus on the applications of AI and how it might benefit the evolution of our artform.

There are parts of the podcast production process that may be expedited by AI. Take the development stage for example. You could use Chat GPT to generate your content calendar or a script around particular phrases or topics. However, I do not suggest using the ideas that Chat GPT produces as your sole form of idea development as there are four main pitfalls to doing so.

Firstly, the human brain is brilliant and may be inspired to connect different concepts in a unique and creative way that Chat GPT may not. Instead of creating exactly what Chat GPT suggests, use it as a starting point and ask yourself: “What else? So what? What am I missing here?”. AI may make this initial brainstorm easier, but there is currently no comparison to the unusual and complex connections that our brains can make.

Secondly, Chat GPT can produce repetitive results. I spent two hours using the software this morning and whilst I was impressed at the breadth of information I was able to learn (which would have taken much longer to obtain using Google), oftentimes it was saying the same thing in different ways, oftentimes it gave similar results, and oftentimes it just reworded the same answer. You get the picture.

Thirdly, other podcasters may be using Chat GPT to plan their content, and they may input many of the same prompts as you, and therefore may receive similar answers to you. In this way, the use of AI could lead to the homogenisation of the podcast landscape, which would kill the medium (and also your show) because everyone is making content based on the same information.

Fourthly, AI can reinforce existing biases due to the data it’s trained on; if an AI algorithm is trained on data that contains racial or gender biases, or information from one particular country, then it’s likely to produce biased information. A lot of data in the world is biased in these ways, so I’d be curious to speak to someone who works in the field who is able to explain how they are mitigating that.

The recording and editing process is another part of production AI can aid. For example, AI can be used to repair audio, remove filler words, and denoise your recording. Adobe recently released Adobe Podcast, which does pretty much everything. Most impressive is its ability to make the recording sound like it was conducted in a studio, which it achieves by altering the frequencies of your voice and reducing the background noise. You can use it to deep fake your host’s voice to generate an entire episode, or correct a single sentence that you don’t have time to re-record with the host.

Adobe Podcasts and AI tools like it could even be used to create a whole series without a host having to record a single line! The Times recently produced an episode of Stories of our Times about deep fake audio, with an accompanying video showing the host, David Aaronovitch, reacting to his AI voice clone. Aaronovitch identified a common issue experienced when using AI this way – mispronunciation. Some words were pronounced inconsistently throughout the podcast, and in a way that the host himself would never pronounce said word. But the world moves very fast, and creating a daily show takes work. We often want to cover more, but it’s impossible. German publishing house, Heise Gruppe, have solved this by using AI to clone their host’s voice and then used text to speech to create a second daily episode for their show. It increased their plays by 37%. But whilst the episodes increased engagement, feedback from listeners identified similar pronunciation issues in English and German, as well as an unnatural lack of breathing sounds.

There is a wealth of AI applications in post-production – we’re all used to using automatic transcripts already – but now that you can create automatic captions on promo videos you can use AI that utilises natural language processing to convert your podcast audio to text. This type of AI can be used to write an accompanying blog or the shownotes for an episode, it could write an entire Twitter thread for you, or you could use AI to create a filter for your TikTok fans. I think the priority here shouldn’t be to churn out as much content as possible, but instead AI should be used to increase our efficiency so we have more time to increase the value of each piece of content – something that is especially useful for smaller teams who may not have the beefy budgets.

I’ve recently downloaded Fathom, a more social podcast player that makes use of AI to allow you to save moments in a podcast and share them with your friends. The player also uses AI to recommend other shows, a general function that Chat GPT itself has told me could be a concern: it may be prone to the same racial or gender biases mentioned, and at the very least “As AI algorithms become more sophisticated, they It may favour popular shows and topics over less well-known ones, making it harder for new and diverse voices to be heard.”

However impressed we are at its current capabilities, AI’s computational power is doubling every six to 10 months, well ahead of Moore’s Law. The implication is that, what we’re seeing now is AI in its infancy. It’s scary but it might just be the most exciting stage of the internet – so far!

Still can’t get your head around what AI actually is? Listen to Meera’s AI podcast recommendations:

Hard Fork – ‘GPT-4 Is Here + The Group Chat Bank Run’

The New York Times weighs in on the latest developments in ChatGPT last week.  Listen on your favourite app >>

Short Wave – ‘Can you teach a computer common sense?’

NPR’s podcast Short Wave discussed the idea of computer thinking back in January, before the release of the latest ChatGPT. Listen on your favourite app >>

Between Two Mics – ‘This Episode Was Written Using ChatGPT’

The remote recording podcast has a play around with AI creativity, with an episode written by ChatGPT. Listen on your favourite app >>

Imaginary Worlds – ‘The Human Touch’

A show that focuses on fantasy and sci-fi worlds, this episodes looks at the way AI has been encroaching on visual art, the legalities of copyright (or lack of them) and what can be gained and lost through AI art. Listen on your favourite app >>

Talks at Google  – ‘Ep210 – Mo Gawdat | Scary Smart: The Future of Artificial Intelligence and How You Can Save Our World’

A conversation from Talks at Google about the bigger picture and concerns with AI. Listen on your favourite app >>

Synthetic Stories – ‘Episode 1 – Amelia’

This Is Distorted has made an entire podcast using AI, from the artwork, to the script, title – and even the Press Release we were sent. Synthetic Stories is a podcast, about a podcast, made by… the podcast? This recommendation was written by a human, however. Listen on your favourite app >>

Stories of Our Time – ‘Artificial intelligence: Bright new future or the end of humanity?’

Stories of Our Time with David Aaronovitch (possibly) asks if machines could be our surgeons, our judges and our artists, what would it then mean to be human? Listen on your favourite app >>

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