YouTube’s non-solution for AI podcasts
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Today we’re taking a look at how YouTube’s new AI rules will (and won’t) affect podcasts, another late-night host ditching TV for audio, and a number of your posts Podcasts reporting on the Israel-Hamas war.
What do YouTube’s new AI rules mean for podcasts? Not much.
This morning, YouTube released new terms and conditions for AI-generated content on its platform. As mine edge Colleagues Mia Sato and Nilay Patel reported that the company was founded a two-tier system in the way such content is moderated: a strict set of rules for music and a looser, almost unenforceable standard for everything else (including podcasts). YouTubers who create podcasts using AI, and people who may discover an AI-generated clone of their voice online, have minor new rules to follow.
First, podcasts that use “realistic” AI-generated (or altered) content must label their videos as such. This is already happening with some larger podcasts that use AI, such as The AI experience by Joe Rogan, but it’s generally good practice, so there’s no harm in requiring people to do it. Despite the label, however, people can request that YouTube remove videos that “simulate an identifiable person, including their face or voice.” It is then at YouTube’s discretion based on factors such as whether the content is considered satire or whether the person reproduced is a public figure. In music, however, there are no such exceptions, as YouTube has to keep the labels happy (if you can believe it, the podcast lobby is a little less influential).
These guidelines, which will be introduced next year, are being issued in the absence of a real legal framework for dealing with AI-generated content. Although it appears to be an attempt by YouTube to do this somethingits effectiveness is inevitably limited – and the lack of clarity could lead to some confusing and inconsistent enforcement decisions.
“It doesn’t have the significance of a law and it doesn’t have the benefit of being carried out in public,” said lawyer Emily Poler, who handles copyright infringement cases. “There will be situations where it is really difficult [for YouTube] to make a fundamental decision, and so on [decisions] is entrusted to a relatively low-level employee at YouTube. I don’t think that’s a recipe for success.”
Moderation was already a mess for these platforms before AI intervened, and each takes a different approach. While Spotify is quite permissive (and even encouraging!) of AI spoken word content, Audible has a blanket rule against AI narrated audiobooks. YouTube seems to be trying to find a middle ground. I’m excited to see what happens next when the new AI rules come into force. As always, if you notice anything strange, let me know.
Another former late-night host is turning to podcasting
Last year around Hot Pod Summit LA, we held a panel with Team Coco based on the assumption that as late-night shows become less relevant, the hosts (much like Conan O’Brien) will turn to podcasts instead. Trevor Noah has since left The Daily Show and make a deal with Spotify, and James Corden Left The Late Late Show and will soon launch a show with SiriusXM. Now another former late-night host has a podcast deal: Daniel Tosh.
Tosh show from iHeartMedia is refreshingly not a celebrity interview show, which makes sense! Tosh.0 was a hit in its day because it was the antithesis of standard late-night fare, taking cues from lowbrow YouTube culture rather than featuring fluffy interviews with the rich and famous. If you’re too young to remember or too old to care, between 2009 and 2012 it was a big deal. (Sidebar, I was really shocked to learn this Tosh.0 only ended in 2020). Since stupid internet videos don’t necessarily translate into podcasts, Tosh conducts his first interview his wife’s gynecologist. Respect!
Who from Late Night will be next? My money is on Jon Stewart, whose Apple TV Plus show was canceled last month. The podcast was always better than the show, and without Apple’s support it would be relatively easy to continue.
Your podcast on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, recommendations
You gotta love it like that Hot capsule The audience is always armed with recommendations. Following my open call for suggestions, several of you came forward with shows that take a nuanced approach to this extremely complicated conflict. I had a chance to listen to some of them and go back to some that I hadn’t heard in a while. Listen:
- The Ezra Klein Show, Per Think again Host Jason Gots (and Vox contributors and various members of my family). It’s a good choice for good reason: Klein has dedicated several episodes of his show to exploring the conflict from various perspectives, including an outstanding episode In it he speaks with pollster Amaney Jamal, who conducted a public opinion poll in Gaza the week before the attack. Spoiler: Gaza residents don’t have much interest in Hamas.
- Israel history, as recommended by Jeff Umbro, CEO of Podglomerate. You may remember Israel history – This is basically the Israeli one This American life when it was introduced At Radiolab in 2015. In the weeks since the war began Israel history published two dozen accounts from Israelis about how the conflict has affected their lives.
- On the nose And Restless are recommended by audio producer Sam J. Leeds. On the nose is from Progressive Outlet Jewish currents and has covered Anti-war activism on the left in Israel and the USA. Unexplained – Sponsored by the Institute for Nonprofit News and created by IfNotNow activists, the program regularly features and publishes reports from Palestinians an episode last week about the escalating violence in the West Bank since the start of the war.
- Unholy: Two Jews in the Newsaccording to Sandra Shmueli, development editor at The Economist. It will be moderated by Keshet 12 news anchor Yonit Levi and The guard Columnist Jonathan Freedland. This is my favorite of all so far – I particularly enjoyed it latest episode with Kara Swisher about how the discourse about war is evolving on TikTok.
Keep it up! Especially if you know great pods made from a Palestinian perspective.
That’s all for now. I’ll be back next week with the latest audio news.