Steven Bartlett is using AI to create and host his latest podcast. The Diary of a CEO star has launched “100 CEOs with Steven Bartlett,” an animated documentary-style series hosted by Bartlett’s AI voice clone.
The series features high-profile business figures like Richard Branson and Elon Musk. While Bartlett writes the initial scripts, the rest of the production is handled by AI, Business Insider reports. His company, FlightStory Studio, used tech from AI firms Runway, ElevenLabs, and Wondercraft.
Creating hosts using AI
The “100 CEOs” show doesn’t shy away from the fact that it is made with AI, according to Business Insider. Georgie Holt, who cofounded FlightStory Studio with Bartlett and fellow Acast alum Christiana Brenton, said: “Steven is still very involved in the scripting and the writing.”
He still passionately believes, as we do, in the human ability to tell stories,” Holt said. “Everything else was done by AI. The next challenge is, how do you grow distribution? How do you market that podcast?”
The podcast has mixed reviews with some listeners saying “I’m a huge fan, but this just feels like an AI podcast with zero soul.”
Podcasts using AI
This isn’t the first time Bartlett has used AI when producing his podcast. In 2023, Spotify launched a pilot of Voice Translation for podcasts, using OpenAI technology to translate podcasts into other languages in the original podcaster’s voice. Bartlett was among the podcasters working with Spotify on AI-powered voice translations.
The feature is powered by OpenAI’s voice generation technology to clone the original podcaster’s voice.
Spotify stated it would match the original speaker’s style, making for a more authentic listening experience that sounds more personal and natural than traditional dubbing – recording new voices for a product rather than the original voice.
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