Why spend big bucks on celebrity podcast hosts when you can create your own with AI? Inception Point AI is doing just that. The company aims to develop a lineup of AI personalities to host podcasts and engage on social media. Their goal? To produce high-quality shows at a fraction of the cost associated with traditional podcasting.
CEO Jeanine Wright, who previously worked for Wondery, believes that in the not-so-distant future, AI will play a huge role in our media landscape. “We’re bringing those personalities to life,” she says. Now, each episode can be produced for as little as $1, and sometimes even less. This means that if just 20 people listen, the company breaks even.
With over 5,000 shows in the Quiet Please Podcast Network, they’re cranking out around 3,000 episodes weekly. Since September 2023, the network has accumulated an impressive 10 million downloads. It takes about an hour to create a podcast, from the initial idea to publishing.
Inception Point AI offers various podcast levels. They produce simple content like weather updates and biographies, as well as more complex shows hosted by their unique AI personalities. These include Claire Delish, a food expert, and Nigel Thistledown, who knows all about gardening.
Wright challenges the stereotype that AI content lacks quality, saying some critics are just stuck in the past.
The company is also exploring short videos and social media accounts for their AI hosts, hoping to turn some into influencers. They plan to create thousands more AI personalities to see which ones resonate with audiences.
Navigating the ethical dilemmas surrounding AI personalities is part of their journey. Each AI host makes it clear that they’re not human. For now, they don’t create detailed backstories, but that might change. William Corbin, co-founder and CTO, stresses the importance of maintaining a healthy distance. “I am not going to create a personality that somebody has a deep relationship with,” he says.
Interestingly, the concept started during the pandemic when Corbin unintentionally launched a hit podcast by reading CDC reports. This led to the expansion into other formats.
The small team of eight uses AI to choose podcast topics based on trends from Google and social media. They often create multiple versions of a show to see which titles draw in listeners. This approach helps them discover what content clicks with audiences.
Their strategy includes producing niche podcasts too. “We might make a pollen podcast that only 50 people listen to, but I’m already profitable,” Wright explains.
The podcasts combine AI-generated content with human oversight: the content team provides outlines, while AI fills in details. Custom voices are developed for the AI hosts, creating a more engaging experience.
Though the startup is still in its early stages and looking for funding, they see AI podcasts as an addition to, rather than a replacement for, traditional hosts. Co-founder Josh Taylor emphasizes that AI can explore topics that human hosts may skip.
As AI in podcasting continues to evolve, it represents a blend of creativity and technology, promising fresh perspectives in an ever-changing media landscape.
For more insights into AI in media, check out this report from Pew Research.
