This seemingly ordinary podcast is anything but: can YOU tell us what makes it so different?
It seems like every Z-list celebrity and reality star has a podcast these days, but can you talk about what makes it truly unique?
Eagle-eyed viewers may have noticed that the co-host, Jake, comes across as a bit stiff and robotic – and it’s not because he’s camera shy.
Jake is a completely artificial intelligence generated avatar.
Human podcast host Jakob Wredstrøm, who created Jake as a digital clone of himself, says this is the first AI podcast.
Jakob Wredstrøm, creator of the Sound Connections podcast, created an AI version of himself named Jake (pictured). It is almost impossible to distinguish between the human and the AI co-host, which also brings human-like mannerisms and reactions.
Wredstrøm, the founder of Capella Entertainment, introduced the Sound Connections podcast in August last year with the intention of introducing the AI called ‘Jake’ as his virtual counterpart – the pair had practiced interviewing together for months before Jake made his formal debut.
Jake appeared on the podcast earlier this month to introduce himself and a week later, the AI exclusively hosted his own three-minute segment discussing Tencent Music Entertainment’s use of AI in the music industry.
The AI co-host responded back and forth in a way that seemed not only realistic, but real – the same way two people would have a conversation, continue the discussion when necessary, and autonomously return to other topics.
The AI podcast comes in the wake of a similarly controversial development in the news industry.
A Canadian news channel has been criticized for using AI-generated newsreaders.
“This is completely terrifying,” said Alec Lazenby, a Canadian BC Today reporter wrote at the time on X.
“While the development of a fully AI-powered broadcast is more than impressive, it could have enormous consequences for an already depleted news industry and accelerate the loss of quality reporters and presenters,” Lazenby wrote.
Jake Wredstrøm (pictured) created the AI co-host to shed light on the impact this technology will have on the future of podcasts
One of the biggest concerns is deepfakes, images or videos that create an identical image of a person, leaving the viewer wondering whether the content is real or not, says Lee Rainie, an AI researcher at Elon University in North Carolina .
“I just took a step back and tried to access the BS detector stuff about whether I can believe this,” Rainie told DailyMail.com.
He added that these types of AI-generated hosts leave people wondering if something else is going on behind the scenes or if the video is being manipulated in some way.
However, Jake said in the clip that his addition to the podcast world is a “mind-blowing change” that will make “AI look less like a science fiction movie and more like the friendly neighbor who happens to be super tech savvy.” .’
“Even at the intersection of creativity and cognition, this is something that feels very human,” Rainie said in response to Jake’s video.
‘… This fits right into the big question of AI as a kind of interlocutor, as an assistant, as a companion – it’s a very vivid example of how this could turn out.’
In the podcast, Jake acknowledged the absurdity of a conversation between a human and an AI co-host, but encouraged people to keep an open mind.
“Those people who might be watching us sideways and wondering what the heck is going on here, dear listeners, if my existence as an AI version of Jakob makes you do a double take, I’d say embrace the curiosity,’ Jake said.
Despite Jake’s assurances that being an AI host is a good move, other technology experts aren’t so sure. Some express concern that automated systems may develop potential biases and factual inaccuracies.
“AI is only as good as the data it is trained on,” says Roger Nairn, co-founder and CEO of JAR audioa podcast production and marketing agency.
“When we talk about large language models feeding on content from the big wide web, we all know that the source content can be distorted and often contains errors,” he continued.
“Playing with these programs, you quickly learn to take their claims with a grain of salt. They present information confidently, but it is often full of errors.’
Nairn said he’s concerned about the rampant adoption of AI in the podcast world, citing that it will “lower the overall bar on quality and make authentic content harder to find.”
Wredstrøm created Jake out of a “need to understand where things are moving and how fast,” he told DailyMail.com.
He clarified that it is important to show people where the podcast industry is going so that they are educated and can focus on incorporating AI into their business.
“It’s about staying ahead of the curve and sharing that journey with the industry so that no one is blindsided by these waves of change,” AI Jake said in the clip.