Podcast Summary: Grow The Show – Episode 252

Why AI Will Make Podcasts MORE Valuable

Host: Kev Michael
Date: January 6, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Kev Michael addresses a key concern among content creators and podcasters: What impact will AI have on podcasting? As AI's capabilities expand, anxiety has grown about whether it might render human-created podcasts obsolete. Kev challenges these fears, arguing instead that AI will make authentic, human-driven podcasts even more valuable by heightening the demand for genuine experiences and relationships—something AI cannot replicate.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Audience Anxiety Around AI’s Impact on Content Creation

• Many creators feel nervous that their efforts could become "a waste of time" as AI saturates the market with automated content.
• Kev’s reassurance:

  "I actually don't think that's true at all. I think AI is very similar to past technological leaps that we as humankind have had."
  (03:46)

2. Drawing Parallels: AI vs. Previous Technological Advancements

• Kev compares AI's introduction to the printing press, electricity, and the internet—initially controversial but ultimately integrated into society.
• AI is also likened to the nuclear bomb: potentially disruptive but unlikely to wipe out human-driven endeavors overnight.

3. The Volume Fallacy: Why Chasing Volume Won’t Work

• Current industry chatter claims the only way to compete with AI is to match its content volume.
• Kev challenges this, invoking basic economics:

  "The answer to the problem that AI will create, which is a vast, vast rise in the supply of content...that will lower the demand for content."
  (08:40)

• He explains how an overabundance of AI-generated content will actually make audiences crave human content.

4. The Human Response to AI Content

• Listeners can often detect AI-generated material—and devalue it instantly.

  "The second that I detect a video is AI generated, I scroll past it and sometimes I get pissed. I'm like, damn it. Because I'm just not interested in that."
  (10:35)

• Applies not only to video but to marketing emails, articles, and even billboards.

5. Human Content: Experiences and Relationships

• Kev’s core thesis: AI cannot replicate two things—personal experiences and genuine relationships.

  "There are two things that AI will never replace and cannot ever replace, and that is the experiences that you have and the relationships that you have."
  (17:00)

• He maintains this is especially true for podcasts, which are fundamentally about sharing stories and conversations.

6. Long-Form Audio Wins in the Age of AI

• AI excels at generating short-form content, but long-form, deeply engaging human conversations are much harder to simulate convincingly.

  "It's going to be much harder to AI generate long form than it is short form."
  (27:50)

• Audiences will continue to value, even more, the authenticity and effort behind real, extended human dialogue.

7. The Value of Scarcity and Effort

• Kev points out that humans value things that are scarce and where effort is evident.
• Observes a trend toward "lo-fi", less-produced short-form content—the more “human” it appears, the better it performs.

8. The Future: Rising Demand for Authenticity

• As AI-generated "slop" inundates social media, people will increasingly seek out content that’s obviously made by humans.

  "The coming tsunami of AI slop is simply going to create more demand for human content."
  (31:10)

• Predicts nostalgic returns to analog effects in movies; similarly, podcasts will be a refuge for authentic human connection.

9. Encouragement to Current and Aspiring Podcasters

• Kev calls on creators not to let AI fear stop them:

  "It is worthwhile to continue creating long form content and continue podcasting in the age of AI. And I think it is going to become even more valuable to do so as AI slowly takes over everything."
  (34:55)

• As AI’s reach grows, human creativity, storytelling, and relationship-building will stand out.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the inevitability of human value:

  "AI will replace humans for everything except what only humans can do...that is, have experiences, share those experiences via storytelling, and have relationships."
  (34:27)

• On the easy detection and subsequent devaluation of AI-generated content:

  "The second that you detect that something is AI generated, it's less valuable and it's less interesting to you."
  (28:45)

• On content scarcity:

  "Humans are not interested in abundant things. We like scarcity, we like when things are scarce."
  (30:15)

• On creators’ paths in the AI era:

  "If you're someone who has hesitated to get into podcasting or even get into content because of AI...I don't think that's going to be the case. And even if it does, it's worth it until it does. Right? Right. Believe it when you see it."
  (36:22)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:01 – 03:46 Introduction & framing the AI question
• 03:47 – 08:39 Comparisons to historical tech panics
• 08:40 – 12:12 The volume fallacy and basic economics of content
• 12:13 – 17:00 Human response to AI content; authentic experiences
• 17:01 – 24:14 Experiences and relationships: AI’s limitations
• 24:15 – 31:09 Why long-form content and podcasts will thrive
• 31:10 – 34:27 Increasing demand for authenticity and "lo-fi" content
• 34:28 – 36:22 Final word: encouragement for podcasters

Episode Tone & Takeaways

Kev’s tone is empathetic, direct, and reassuring. He tackles anxieties about AI with real talk, personal anecdotes, and practical analysis, ultimately delivering a message of optimism for creators: the things that make podcasts special—human experience, storytelling, and genuine relationships—are irreplaceable and will only become more valuable in the age of AI.

For podcasters: Keep creating. The future–and your audience–need what only you can offer.