New Media Show (Audio) - What Should Creators Disclose When Using AI? | Alberto Betella, RSS.com #670 (Audio)

Should every use of AI in a podcast, video, or creator workflow be disclosed? A better question is whether AI created the actual substance of what the audience came to hear or watch. On Episode 670 of the New Media Show, Rob Greenlee is joined by Alberto Betella, co-founder of RSS.com and creator of “Should I Disclose AI?“  Is a timely conversation about AI transparency, synthetic media, voice cloning, human trust, and the future of creator-led media. AI is now helping creators edit video, create captions, translate episodes, generate clips, improve workflows, personalize advertising, and accelerate production. But AI can also generate entire shows, clone voices, imitate experts, create deceptive media, and overwhelm platforms with low-effort content. The challenge is not simply whether AI was used. The challenge is understanding when AI use changes what the audience is actually receiving. Alberto shares his practical “Substance Test” framework for AI disclosure. The central idea is simple: if AI created the core performance, information, expertise, or experience that brought the audience to the content, creators should disclose it. But using AI as a supporting production tool does not necessarily mean the entire episode should be labeled as AI-generated. Rob and Alberto explore the difficult gray areas: AI-translated episodes, cloned voices reading human-written scripts, AI-written scripts read by humans, platform auto-labeling, watermarking, creator consent, programmatic advertising, AI search, and the future value of human-made media. They also discuss why disclosure should not be a punishment or a stigma. Transparency can give audiences more context, help platforms manage risk, and allow creators to use AI responsibly without pretending that every use of AI is deceptive or low quality. The bigger question is whether creators can use AI to make better work while still protecting the human trust, judgment, originality, and relationships that make media meaningful. Guest: Alberto Betella: Co-Founder, RSS.com; creator of Should I Disclose AI? Host: Rob Greenlee, 2017 Podcast Hall of Fame inductee, New Media Show host, and Chairperson of the Podcast Hall of Fame AI Use Note: This episode includes an AI-assisted opening visual and the show notes based on the transcript. The conversation, editorial direction, and analysis are human-led. Rough Chapter Break Topics: 00:00 Should creators disclose their use of AI? 03:00 Introducing Should I Disclose AI? 06:00 Human imperfection, authenticity, and audience trust 10:00 The difference between AI tools and AI-created substance 15:00 AI translation, cloned voices, and disclosure nuance 22:00 Detection, watermarking, and platform AI labels 26:00 YouTube auto-labeling and the economics of AI content 31:00 Will “human-made” become a premiu