AI Podcasts – A Creative Revolution or a Creepy Imitation?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is clearly taking over more areas than we ever thought possible, and now it’s making its way into realms that were once distinctly human, like podcasting. If creating music and mimicking art wasn’t enough, AI is coming for radio, specifically podcasts. A journalist from The Guardian decided to check out how good those AI-generated podcasts actually are. Spoiler alert: the results aren’t as sci-fi as we might have imagined, but they’re certainly impressive—and maybe just a little creepy.

The Experiment: Replacing Human Podcasts with AI

Imagine you never have to spend hours coming up with the perfect script for a podcast because a machine can do it for you. This low-effort future is now technically possible, thanks to AI tools currently available online. The concept has fascinated (and worried) many creators. Will AI replace human creativity? Or is it just a tool that helps us express ideas faster and easier?

The journalist set out on a mission. They decided to compare AI-generated content with the human touch of real-life podcasts. Of course, everyone knows podcasting takes skill—whether it’s skillfully conducted interviews, captivating storytelling, or simply having natural banter with a co-host. So, how can an AI, which doesn’t seem to “feel” anything, possibly compete with that?

Using public tools like ElevenLabs, the journalist generated some podcasts themselves. You might think AI would create something flat and robotic, but that isn’t exactly what happened. Instead, the AI created something uncannily close to sounding human. In some cases, listeners couldn’t even tell the difference at first.

The Creation Process: Make It Sound Real

What surprised many people is just how sophisticated these AI systems have become. When generating the podcast, the journalist used AI software to handle everything from the scripts to the voice work. The AI even mimicked casual dialogue, filled with tiny imperfections like pauses, stammers, and little vocal inflections that you’d expect from an actual person.

There’s a significant difference between traditional robot voices, which are usually stiff and mechanical, and these AI voices which sound surprisingly lifelike. In fact, much of the magic happens thanks to AI “deep learning,” where machines essentially learn from mountains of data (in this case, hours of podcast content) to replicate human-like behavior.

Companies like OpenAI and ElevenLabs have built AI programs that can learn to replicate not only the minor details in human speech but also understand greater themes in conversation. The hard work of writing and talking might soon be reduced to a button-click, as AI starts to grasp the nuances of tone, pauses, emotion, and timing.

Impressive…But Isn’t Something Missing?

Yes, the AI is pretty good—actually shockingly good—but that doesn’t necessarily make it perfect. Listening to an AI-enabled podcast is kind of like hearing someone imitate your friend’s voice. It’s right, but it’s also just a little off. An AI podcast might nail the content, but there’s still something unmistakably hollow about it.

According to the journalist, the biggest problem with AI-generated shows is that you still know, deep down, that it’s fake. There’s a lack of true engagement, warmth, and spontaneity that only human hosts bring to the table. Let’s face it: the best podcasts aren’t just about the words. They’re about how those words are delivered, the unique chemistry between hosts, and the unexpected moments of vulnerability or humor that sprinkle their way through natural conversation.

In other words, AI might be good at writing a script and sounding like a human, but it still sucks at connecting with us on a genuinely emotional level. It’s something AI may never truly “get” unless, who knows, we someday live in a world where machines develop consciousness—which, let’s face it, would be its own set of problems.

What Are The Best Areas AI Could Work?

It’s not all doom and gloom, though. Many podcast creators are already thinking about how to incorporate AI to make their workflow a little easier. After all, AI is a tool, not necessarily a replacement for a podcasting team.

Let’s consider a few ways AI can enhance—rather than replace—podcasting. Here’s what creators are already doing:

• Scriptwriting: AI can help draft out podcast scripts if you’re running short on time. All it needs is a little context, and AI can whip up a rough script that you could use or edit as a baseline.
• Editing: Cutting out the awkward pauses, stammers, or repeating phrases could be handed off to AI editing tools, saving hours of frustrating manual work.
• Voice Replication: Suppose a podcast host is unavailable. It’s now feasible to let AI step in to recreate their voice and record a quick update or announcement, and many listeners wouldn’t even notice!
• Content Ideas: AI tools can process a gigantic amount of data, which means they can also help generate potential topics or talking points for episodes if you’re in a creative rut.

Where Does This Leave Us?

If AI can create shows so close to the real thing, where do people fit into all of this? Should we be excited or totally terrified? It might actually be a little of both.

Excitement comes from how easy AI can make certain parts of the job for podcasters. The time and energy they free up might allow creators to focus more on making content groundbreaking or innovative—rather than stressing about minor tasks. For example, podcasters could produce more content and explore diverse, unexplored topics without getting buried under a mountain of to-dos.

On the flip side, the concerns about AI are real, especially for creative professionals. Are we opening the door to a future where original artists and creators are reduced to nothing more than consultants or quality checkers for machines that do the “real” work? There’s also moral and ethical concerns around cloning voices and using them in ways the original speakers might not have agreed to.

This begs the question of how far we want technology to go. Sure, AI-generated podcasts are incredible as tech demonstrations, but is that really what we want for the media we consume every day? Don’t we value the human touch—the very things that make us feel something when we listen? Sure, we can use AI to make a podcast host sound tired or nervous on cue, but what about those off-the-cuff moments, like someone telling a deeply personal story in a way that only a human really can?

Beyond Podcasts: Will AI Replace All Media?

Podcasting is only one area where AI has made waves. The truth is that AI-generated content is creeping into nearly every medium. So, it isn’t only podcasters who are wondering what their future will be like. Filmmakers, artists, musicians—even journalists like the one from The Guardian—are asking the same questions. The media landscape might see a huge transformation in the years (or even months) to come, and it’s anyone’s guess where humans will actually land in this equation.

AI can already produce articles, compose music, script TV shows, and generate hyper-realistic images. But, there’s always pushback from people who feel that real art comes from emotion, creativity, and living experience—things machines don’t have. So, while AI may be capable of doing a lot, it’s tempting to say it’s only reproducing what humans have already done, not coming up with original thoughts of its own.

Maybe it’s that tension—between what AI can do and what humans should do—that will ultimately define the future of AI-generated content. As we push the boundaries, striking the right balance between creativity and automation will be key—ensuring AI is a helpful tool but not a creative bulldozer.

Final Thoughts: Creepy or Cool?

As AI continues to grow and evolve, the debate around its use in creativity isn’t going away anytime soon. The technology is undeniably fascinating, even impressive, but perhaps we should ask ourselves what we’re really trying to achieve here. Are we looking for shortcuts, or are we compromising the very authenticity that makes media, including podcasting, so enjoyable?

There’s little doubt that AI tools will become more entrenched in our lives. They probably won’t vanish, and as they improve and blend almost seamlessly with human efforts, the question remains: will we even care? In the end, it could be up to listeners themselves to decide. Is a future filled with AI podcasts appealing? Or does it feel like we’re giving up too much of what makes podcasting so beloved in the first place?

Only time will tell. Meanwhile, AI stays in the background, waiting to see if we call on it for our next great show. Maybe it’ll even predict the answer before we do.