Dec. 26, 2024

The Pros and Cons of AI in Podcasting: My Take on NotebookLM

NotebookLM is a new AI tool that allows users to upload PDFs and generate podcast content, raising questions about the role of AI in the podcasting world.

Dave Jackson shares his insights on this technology, discussing both its potential benefits and drawbacks. He emphasizes the importance of authenticity and personal input in podcasting, warning against relying solely on AI for content creation.

While acknowledging the convenience of tools like NotebookLM, he stresses that true thought leadership comes from original ideas and personal experiences. Dave also highlights the value of using AI as an assistant rather than a creator, advocating for a balanced approach that maintains the unique voice of the podcaster.

Takeaways:

NotebookLM allows users to upload PDFs and generate podcasts, showcasing the capabilities of AI.
While AI can assist in creating content, authentic personal input remains crucial for successful podcasting.
Using AI in podcasting raises questions about originality and the potential for automated content.
AI-generated content may be efficient, but it often lacks the unique voice that audiences appreciate.
Dave emphasizes the importance of authenticity in content creation, especially for podcasting.
AI tools should be used as assistants to enhance creativity rather than replace human effort.

Mentioned in this episode:

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00:00 - None

00:09 - Introduction to Notebook lm

00:58 - The Impact of AI on Podcasting

02:12 - The Role of AI in Podcasting

05:32 - The Role of Authenticity in Content Creation

06:08 - The Role of AI in Content Creation

Dave Jackson
00:00:00

Tiffany stopped by the live chat and unfortunately I was in bed and she asked, hey, I'm just curious to know what you think about this thing called Notebook lm.

Dave Jackson
00:00:09

Well, today I'll share my thoughts.

Podcast Announcer
00:00:12

Welcome to your podcast consultant.

Podcast Announcer
00:00:15

Small lessons with big value.

Podcast Announcer
00:00:18

With more than a decade of experience and millions of downloads, this hall of fame podcaster is a featured speaker, author, and mentor to thousands.

Podcast Announcer
00:00:30

Now he wants to work with you.

Podcast Announcer
00:00:32

He's your podcast consultant, Dave Jackson.

Dave Jackson
00:00:37

Oh, AI is always really cool and kind of spooky at the same time.

Dave Jackson
00:00:44

And so there's this thing called Notebook lm.

Dave Jackson
00:00:47

I'll talk about it in a minute.

Dave Jackson
00:00:49

But just on the topic of is AI better than humans?

Dave Jackson
00:00:54

I'm going to throw it over to my two friends, Kyle and Sheila.

Sheila
00:00:58

Ever wonder how AI is going to shake up the podcasting world?

Kyle
00:01:01

It's already happening.

Sheila
00:01:02

True.

Sheila
00:01:02

And one of the craziest examples I've seen.

Kyle
00:01:05

Let me guess.

Kyle
00:01:06

AI writing the podcasts themselves.

Sheila
00:01:08

Close.

Sheila
00:01:09

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, you know, the ABC down under, they wanted to see if AI could write better podcast titles than humans.

Kyle
00:01:18

Wow.

Kyle
00:01:18

Throwing down the gauntlets.

Sheila
00:01:19

Yeah.

Dave Jackson
00:01:20

And thank you, Kyle and Sheila.

Dave Jackson
00:01:22

Now, for the record, if you are not familiar with NotebookLM, you just heard it.

Dave Jackson
00:01:29

Yeah, it's from Google.

Dave Jackson
00:01:31

You go to notebooklm.google.com you can upload a PDF and Kyle and Sheila will make a podcast out of it.

Dave Jackson
00:01:40

And some people are upset because it always seems that Kyle is in the driving, you know, the driver's seat, and Sheila, and I'm just making up these names, by the way, is always kind of the, oh, uh huh.

Dave Jackson
00:01:51

Mm.

Dave Jackson
00:01:52

Which seems a bit sexist.

Dave Jackson
00:01:53

But if you listen longer, they do swap roles.

Dave Jackson
00:01:56

And I think somebody said there are prompts now where you can make Sheila in the driver's seat.

Dave Jackson
00:02:00

But the cool thing is, had I not told you that that was AI, you may not have known.

Dave Jackson
00:02:08

And so that is where it's cool, man.

Dave Jackson
00:02:11

A little scary.

Dave Jackson
00:02:12

Now here's the bad news.

Dave Jackson
00:02:14

There are already hundreds of podcasts with Kyle and Sheila doing whatever people have uploaded to do.

Dave Jackson
00:02:25

And a friend of mine made a good point.

Dave Jackson
00:02:27

They're like, hey, if you don't want to do the podcast, like, just don't do a podcast.

Dave Jackson
00:02:34

I think some of this is, oh, I wonder if this will work.

Dave Jackson
00:02:37

And they're just fascinated by it.

Dave Jackson
00:02:40

I think if you do use Kyle and Sheila, you should definitely disclose that the people you are not listening to are not people, because I think it would be weird to listen to Kyle and Sheila every day because I remember once I uploaded something about I had lost my wallet and I fed it some stuff and Sheila mentioned how she had lost her wallet once and I'm like, no, you haven't, because you are a robot.

Dave Jackson
00:03:07

You don't exist.

Dave Jackson
00:03:09

So for those that are looking for an easy way to make a podcast, it's an easy way to make a podcast, but is it good?

Dave Jackson
00:03:17

In January, I'll be inducting two people into the Podcasters hall of Fame.

Dave Jackson
00:03:23

Can't say who they are yet, but the thing I want to make well aware of, both of these people are highly original.

Dave Jackson
00:03:31

Like, you cannot clone this person.

Dave Jackson
00:03:34

There's just no way.

Dave Jackson
00:03:35

And so what I hate to see is people go, ooh, we can do this.

Dave Jackson
00:03:40

We'll ask ChatGPT, which realize ChatGPT isn't up on the most latest, greatest stuff.

Dave Jackson
00:03:47

We'll take that, we'll put it into NotebookLM, it will spit out the podcast and we'll make millions.

Dave Jackson
00:03:55

And I'm like, no, you're not.

Dave Jackson
00:03:56

Because you can't be a thought leader without putting in your own thoughts.

Dave Jackson
00:04:01

Now that's kind of the downside of that.

Dave Jackson
00:04:04

Where I see people looking for.

Dave Jackson
00:04:08

It always seems like there's people looking like, how can I do the least amount of work, if not any at all, and make millions of dollars?

Dave Jackson
00:04:16

And I'm like, I just don't think it works that way.

Dave Jackson
00:04:18

But here's some good things that you can do.

Dave Jackson
00:04:21

I had somebody that I was interviewing for my show and they sent me over a few chapters of their book and I didn't really have time to read it, so I uploaded the PDF and Kyle and Sheila spit out a quick 20 minute summary as well as there's a whole bunch of other things of summaries and questions and all sorts of things that Google spits out.

Dave Jackson
00:04:46

I like that use of that.

Dave Jackson
00:04:48

Like, hey, I need to do some quick research.

Dave Jackson
00:04:51

That's the part I like.

Dave Jackson
00:04:52

And that's where I've used it.

Dave Jackson
00:04:53

I haven't used it as much.

Dave Jackson
00:04:55

I kind of jumped on board when it first came on and I'm kind of like, yeah, yeah, Kyle and Sheila, I get it.

Dave Jackson
00:05:01

So.

Dave Jackson
00:05:02

But it's just a sign of, you know, we always say that this is the worst it's going to get, and that's true.

Dave Jackson
00:05:10

So I'm sure in the Future, you know, chat GPT will have a way, you know, there's 11 labs, that's another voice tool.

Dave Jackson
00:05:17

And I'm just like, don't let the automation of AI wipe out the personality that is you.

Dave Jackson
00:05:27

Because that's the part that people will be drawn to.

Dave Jackson
00:05:32

Because the one thing, especially the younger generation, that they really, really value is authenticity.

Dave Jackson
00:05:42

And I just see people like, oh, I can just type this in, spit it out, and it's good enough.

Dave Jackson
00:05:48

And that's fine.

Dave Jackson
00:05:49

You can do good enough.

Dave Jackson
00:05:50

Just don't expect it to top the charts because it's not.

Dave Jackson
00:05:55

It's the same thing that everybody else is doing, saying the same thing.

Dave Jackson
00:06:00

It's not going to spit out something new because it's basing its thoughts on someone else's.

Dave Jackson
00:06:05

So I'm not really worried about it.

Dave Jackson
00:06:08

I do know that 2025 is going to be filled with lots of garbage that's created by AI.

Dave Jackson
00:06:14

And again, I'm not anti AI.

Dave Jackson
00:06:16

I just know that my favorite use of AI and I do this a lot.

Dave Jackson
00:06:22

I will type up something using my thoughts and I will throw it into ChatGPT and say, how can I make this better?

Dave Jackson
00:06:29

And almost always it gives me a hint or two that I'm like, ooh, I like the way that looks.

Dave Jackson
00:06:33

Or I like the format they use there, or whatever it is.

Dave Jackson
00:06:36

I like when you use AI as an assistant, not the creator.

Dave Jackson
00:06:42

So, hey, help me make this better, something I created instead of, hey, AI, why don't you create something and I'll try to make it better without doing any work at all.

Dave Jackson
00:06:53

I just think that is a losing kind of strategy.

Dave Jackson
00:06:56

So that's my thoughts.

Dave Jackson
00:06:58

Tiffany, thanks for stopping by the website again.

Dave Jackson
00:07:01

Podcast consultant dot com.

Dave Jackson
00:07:03

I'm Dave Jackson.

Dave Jackson
00:07:04

I help podcasters.