Podcasting in the Age of AI: An Experiment

Human and AI Hosts Interacting on Podcast Neville McKenzie discusses the rapid development of AI technologies and their integration into his production processes. He notes that new AI tools are constantly emerging, requiring continuous learning. The AI Threat: The concern about the potential for AI to make podcasters redundant, necessitating a “radical readjustment” in the podcasting field. He mentions a peer already using AI platforms to produce podcasts without human guests. Experiment: Neville conducts an experiment using a recently launched AI platform to produce a podcast based on his own career documents. He acknowledges that the AI-generated content may contain errors or “hallucinations” that might seem real to unfamiliar listeners. The Experiment: A deep dive into Neville McKenzie’s Career with the podcast transitioning into a discussion of Neville’s career, analysing his diverse experiences and entrepreneurial journey Neville’s Early Work Career as an electronics test engineer, then into IT and Project Management. His Career path changes with a move to China where he immerses himself into the culture, even learning 600 technical Chinese words. The move to Singapore and AsiaBizStories are discussed and the Use of AI in Podcasting to streamline podcast production, such as refining show notes and generating interview questions. The Educator: As an adjunct lecturer at the University of Newcastle in Singapore, teaching creative industries entrepreneurship. Athletic Background: Neville’s is also revealed to be a professional volleyball player for the England national team, earning 71 international caps. Where he developed as an athlete, such as discipline and resilience, that have contributed to his entrepreneurial success. Key Takeaways: The show notes suggest several key takeaways for the future of podcasting: AI integration is becoming inevitable, requiring podcasters to integrate AI technologies into their production processes. This integration may lead to a “radical readjustment” of the field, potentially impacting the role of human podcasters. Despite AI advancements, human creativity remains essential, particularly in creative industries. Podcasters will need to engage in constant learning to adapt to new AI tools and platforms. Experimentation with AI can reveal valuable insights, but podcasters must be aware of potential errors or “hallucinations” in AI-generated content which are present in this experiment.