With improvement in artificial intelligence, the line between human and machine voices is blurring—and in podcasting, AI is already winning the numbers game. According to data from Podcast Index, over a nine-day period, more than a third of new podcasts have been created by AI. Figuring out exactly which ones fall into that growing category is becoming more difficult, just as the industry is starting to take this issue seriously. Right now, Apple Podcasts requires creators to disclose if a significant part of their show is made using AI. It also bans misleading or deceptive content. Spotify hasn’t shared specific rules for AI yet, but it does have general guidelines against dangerous and misleading content.
While streaming platforms are struggling with “podslop,” or AI-generated podcasts, there are some who have also found success in this space. As per a Bloomberg report, an entrepreneur named Adam Levy has found success with an AI-generated podcast based on the Epstein files. He has launched a company to continue his efforts and plans to produce 120 episodes a month, along with additional daily written coverage to complement it.
“I started building this because I spent a long time watching the economics of traditional media make it harder and harder to fund the kind of reporting that actually requires someone to sit down and read 10,000 pages of depositions before they can write a single informed sentence,” he wrote on Substack.
Monetisation makes the problem harder
However, the podslop situation becomes more complicated when money is involved. Many of these podcasts are hosted on free platforms that let anyone easily join their ad programs. There’s no real barrier, so even AI-generated shows can start earning money.
As a result, both the creators of these podcasts and the platforms hosting them make money every time someone listens or downloads an episode. Meanwhile, the industry is still debating what “slop” means—some define it as low-quality or fully automated content, while others dismiss the term as outdated.
Beyond podcasts: Music industry also impacted
The problem isn’t just affecting podcasts—it’s spreading to music as well, especially on platforms like Spotify. AI-generated music is growing quickly. For example, an AI-created music brand was able to get 1 million streams in just a few weeks, and similar cases have been seen again this year.
To address this, Spotify is introducing a “Verified by Spotify” badge. The idea is to add more transparency, so users can better understand the source and authenticity of the music they are listening to in an era where AI content is rapidly increasing.
