AI and podcasting: Exploring the potential of AI-Generated audio content

If you're like me, you probably listen to podcasts pretty regularly. Whether it's on your commute, at the gym, or just relaxing at home, podcasts have become a hugely popular way to consume content on virtually any topic. And as the technology behind artificial intelligence continues advancing at a rapid pace, I believe we're on the cusp of an exciting new era for podcasting and audio content powered by AI.

At its core, an AI language model is a system trained on vast datasets of text to understand and generate human-like language and speech. The most recent and advanced models today can engage in freeform conversations, answer follow up questions, and even access real-time data to provide near-accurate information to their users.

AI generated text was the beginning though, right now I'm particularly intrigued by the potential for AI audio and podcasting. But as capable as modern AI is, I don't think even the most advanced systems today could outright replace the most talented human podcasters, voice artists, and producers out there. In the same way that visual AI tools like DALL-E or Midjourney haven't replaced human artists, but rather opened up new forms of AI-assisted art and creativity,

I expect AI-generated audio will augment rather than replace creators. Being able to have an AI system generate an entire podcast episode on-the-fly with a natural-sounding voice could open up all sorts of possibilities.

Imagine being able to spawn a brand new podcast by simply typing in a prompt like "create an episode about the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe" or "generate a comedy podcast riffing on this week's pop culture news." The AI wouldn't just spit out a text transcript, but would directly output a fully-produced audio file with narration, intro/outro music, sound effects, and smooth transitions between segments.

For established podcasters, AI could be leveraged as a supplemental tool to generate material and talking points for an episode, or to create bonus audio content for dedicated fans. An AI could even be used to have guest "speakers" or interviewees making natural cameo appearances.

Another very exciting potential usage could be personalised podcasts tailored to each individual listener's interests and preferences. If an AI model could access certain data about a user - like their location, age, hobbies, industry, and content consumption habits - it could dynamically generate a daily or weekly audio program with news, information, and entertainment uniquely relevant to that specific person.

Of course, as impressive as modern AI has become, we're still in very early stages of the technology. Producing podcasts today requires skilled multi-disciplinary roles like writing, sound engineering, audio editing, and performance talent. Just like any creative tool, it will require skilled human guidance, oversight, and curation to elevate AI-generated audio beyond mere novelty and turn it into truly compelling content experiences.

There are also important considerations around how the voices and personas used for AI-generated audio are created. AI models learn by ingesting massive datasets, and for audio, those datasets would likely be comprised of recordings from numerous voice actors. How we ensure those individuals are properly credited and compensated as their performances are remixed and synthesised by AI is one of the many questions around ethics and intellectual property rights that will have to be navigated very carefully.

Just as video, audio, and music production have become accessible due to the reduced costs of powerful hardware and software tools, AI and generative media tools can similarly expand access and make it easier to create incredible audio experiences.

Whether it's highly customised premium podcast content, or empowering a new wave of passionate amateur creators, the implications of AI on the rapidly growing podcasting industry are incredibly exciting to think about. I can't wait to see and hear what human+AI co-creators dream up in this space.

The author of the article is Ajay Yadav, co-founder, Simplified, a design and collaboration platform for modern marketing teams. Views expressed are personal.