Podcasting has experienced explosive growth over the past decade, becoming a mainstream form of entertainment and education. With millions of podcasts (3.2-4.8 million as of 9/23) and episodes (~150 million) available on various platforms, the industry shows no signs of slowing down. This is great news to those of us who podcast. However, as with any medium, innovation is key to staying relevant and engaging audiences AND we have to stay on top of what’s going on so we stay relevant. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is playing a significant role in shaping the future of podcasting, offering us, creators and listeners, exciting new possibilities.

Currently I’m using it for research:  Chatgpt is so light years better than Google when doing an indepth search. AI gives me a place to start when planning my episodes to learn who the key players are in the space I’m interested in covering, what books they wrote, and identify some other helpful resources. It’s horrible for script generation – it just doesn’t sound human – but it can help outline some approaches. I like it for that. Like this blog for example.

Here’s some other ways AI is impacting podcasting – which I haven’t tried as yet but look forward to the future when readily available:

  • Text-to-speech technology which turn written content into lifelike audio, allowing podcasters to quickly convert blog posts, articles, or even tweets into podcast episodes.

  • Audio editing tools can help improve the sound quality of recordings, remove background noise, and even suggest edits to eliminate awkward pauses or filler words.
  • Writing scripts and show notes by generating ideas, providing research insights, and suggesting improvements in tone and structure.

  • Personalized Recommendations to deliver personalized content recommendations to listeners. AI algorithms analyze a listener's past preferences, behavior, and demographics to curate a tailored playlist of podcast episodes. This ensures that users are presented with content that aligns with their interests, making it easier to discover new shows and episodes they'll love.

  • Transcription and Searchability services to make podcasts more accessible. Transcripts can be used to create searchable content, making it easier for listeners to find specific topics or keywords within episodes. This also improves the accessibility of podcasts for individuals with hearing impairments and facilitates content indexing for search engines.
  • Enhanced User Engagement with AI-powered chatbots and voice assistants to make it possible for listeners to interact with podcasts in new ways. Listeners can ask questions, request additional information, or even participate in polls and quizzes related to the podcast content. This level of engagement fosters a sense of community and interactivity, which can be particularly appealing to audiences.

  • Language Translation and Localization tools that can help podcasters reach global audiences by automatically translating episodes into multiple languages. This opens up new markets and allows content creators to connect with listeners worldwide.

  • Monetization and Advertising with AI-driven ad insertions allows for dynamic ad placement based on listener demographics and interests, maximizing the relevance of advertisements and increasing revenue for podcasters. Furthermore, AI-powered analytics provide valuable insights into listener behavior, helping podcasters tailor their advertising strategies.

Conclusion

AI is definitely transforming the podcasting landscape, offering us new tools and opportunities. As the technology continues to advance, we can expect to see even more innovative applications of AI in podcasting, ultimately shaping the future of this dynamic and rapidly growing medium.

This innovation also brings Challenges and Ethical Considerations. These include concerns about data privacy, algorithm bias, and the potential for AI-generated content to lack human authenticity. We need to navigate these issues carefully to ensure the technology benefits both creators and listeners without compromising ethical standards.

“It's going to be interesting to see how society deals with artificial intelligence, but it will definitely be cool.” —Colin Angle (CEO iRobot)