AI can be helpful in podcast production

AI can be helpful in podcast production

Senior Lecturer and Podcaster Dr Lewis Tennant conducted research into the use of AI in podcast production, creating a five-part documentary podcast Oopsie NZ. His research, published in the International Journal of Creative Media Research, shows that while AI was helpful in specific technical aspects of podcast production, it also introduced new risks.

"AI tools were integrated across the pre-production, production and post-production of Oopsie NZ, and were definitely most helpful when augmenting, rather than substituting for, specialist human knowledge and judgment."

A typical documentary podcast production includes a team of specialists such as recordists, researchers, storyboarders, writers and audio engineers, but in order to test the contribution of AI tools at all stages of production, Dr Tennant performed all the tasks and specialties.

"Across this project, AI tools functioned less as replacements for documentary craft than as workflow modifiers. They accelerated some steps but also introduced new risks that had to be actively managed. In pre-production, ChatGPT 5.0 was valuable for broad exploratory scanning and generating leads in unfamiliar fields, yet it proved unreliable for documentary research as every factual claim required independent checking.

"AI was strongest when applied to bounded production tasks. Adobe Enhanced Speech improved three interviews compromised by background noise, but the processed audio lacked the depth and richness typical of professional vocal recordings. The best outcome came from combining AI noise reduction with specialist engineering knowledge.

"The varied usability of the material and suggestions ChatGPT 5.0 contributed dictated that creative and editorial agency be firmly human led. As a result, creativity and craft were both supported and constrained, positioning AI as an augmentative presence within the creative process rather than a replacement for human authorship."

Podcasting remains a growing medium, and AI tools can certainly help. Dr Tennant recommends the following guidelines for podcast production teams thinking about integrating AI tools:

• Treat AI outputs as drafts that require verification; do not treat generated text as an evidence source
• Keep interpretive and ethical decisions (what to include, how to frame, and how to represent people/events) as human responsibilities
• Use AI for bounded tasks, e.g. transcription, noise reduction, summarisation, iterative drafting, to free time for editorial craft

Podcasting and Artificial Intelligence is one of the sessions at the upcoming New Zealand Podcasting Summit, being held at AUT city campus on Saturday 9 May 2026. Dr Tennant will be joined by Justin Matthews and Nigel Horrocks, who produce the Creative Machinas podcast discussing all things AI.

Registration for the Summit is open now.

Useful links

• Dr Lewis Tennant academic staff profile
• Augment, not replace: Utilising AI tools for documentary podcast production
• NZ Podcasting Summit 2026
• Study communication studies at AUT

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