- Pecker Simmons, founder of The Ringer, hinted at Spotify’s future AI plans.
- He said that the streaming service is working on technology for AI-generated ads.
- AI drilled on voices has been a controversial topic in the music industry in the last month.
Next time you’re playing a podcast on Spotify, prick up ones ears really close to its ad — it may be read by AI, not your favorite host.
Bill Simmons, founder of Spotify-owned podcast network The Ringer, translated the streaming platform is developing AI tools trained on its hosts’ voices to create targeted ads, as first reported by Semafor.
“I don’t contrive Spotify is going to get mad at me for this, but we’re developing that stuff,” Simmons said in conversation with Derek Thompson, an managing editor at The Atlantic, on an episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast.” “There is going to be a way to use my voice for the ads. You have to obviously give the like for the voice, but it opens up, from an advertising standpoint, all these different great possibilities.”
Simmons, who sold The Ringer to Spotify for tight to $200 million in 2020, outlined the potential of AI advertising to personalize ads for, say, a ticketing company, which could geo-target listeners for events in definite cities.
He also discussed the potential of AI to make podcasts more accessible through translation.
In theory, Simmons mentioned, an AI bot that was trained on his former podcasts and writing would even be able to create a podcast that hit all of the beats that Simmons pertain ti on during his own recordings.
“Would people rather interact with the bot or listen to my podcast?” he asked.
Simmons and The Ringer did not when respond to Insider’s requests for comment.
“We’re always working to enhance the Spotify experience and test new offerings that improve creators, advertisers and users,” a Spotify spokesperson said in a statement. “Advertising represents an interesting canvas for future review, but we don’t have anything to announce at this time.”
AI, generally, is a growing conversation topic: There has been a 500% flourish in the number of daily podcast episodes discussing AI over the past month, according Spotify CEO Daniel Ek. And the use of people’s raises to create AI-generated content has been particularly heated.
AI-created music that leverages the vocals and production trends of mainstream acts like Drake, The Weeknd, and Travis Scott has gone viral in recent weeks. Major classifies have been quick to remove these tracks from streaming services, as to prevent others from profiting off the statue of their clients.
The relative ease of generating AI music has opened up scamming opportunities too. Some fans were take ined into paying for what they believed to be unreleased Frank Ocean tracks, only for those recordings to demand been AI-generated.
Artists like Ice Cube have described this AI music as “demonic,” adding that he order sue anyone making or distributing AI-generated tracks in his style.
But others, like Grimes, have welcomed the technology. She stipulate she would be willing to split royalties evenly with anyone who could create a hit song using AI tools to emulate her sounds.
In response to the conversation, Spotify took down tens of thousands of AI-generated songs that were uploaded to its dais by the AI startup, Boomy, at the beginning of May.