E648 - Should Podcasters Have a Disclaimer in their show that this is Human Generated Content As iHeartRadio Shows now do

Summary

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Podcast Summary:

The How To Podcast Series – E648: Should Podcasters Have a Disclaimer in their Show that this is Human Generated Content As iHeartRadio Shows now do
Host: Dave Campbell (Ontario, Canada)
Date: April 6, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Dave Campbell explores the rising trend of adding "human generated content" disclaimers to podcasts—a move spearheaded by iHeartRadio and hosts like Jay Shetty. He unpacks why this trend is emerging, its implications for independent podcasters, regulatory backdrops, and how to foster genuine trust in the AI-saturated world of podcasting.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Emergence of Human-Generated Content Disclaimers

• Dave opens by referencing iHeartRadio podcasts’ new intro: “This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.” ([00:00])
• This new trend caught his attention while listening to Jay Shetty's show, both at the beginning and end of episodes.
• “It really stands out in a sea of AI clone voices, auto generated episodes.” ([01:00])

2. Industry Context: Platform Policies & Regulations

• As of now, no major platform requires human-generated labels, but AI/synthetic content disclosures are increasingly mandatory:
  • Apple Podcasts: Requires disclosure of significant AI-generated content; bans misleading AI “fake news.”
  • Spotify: Labels show as human, AI-assisted, or fully AI-generated; bans unconsented voice cloning.
  • RSS.com: Wants synthetic voices and AI-mimicked audio disclosed.
  • YouTube: Requires AI disclosure for altered/synthetic content.
  • iHeartRadio: Leads with a “guaranteed human” campaign and bans synthetic vocalists in music.
• EU AI Act (effective August 2026): Mandates deepfake disclosures with steep fines.
• FTC: Targets deceptive AI endorsements, but no human-content identifier requirements yet.
  • “No major platform requires human generated labels, but AI disclosure is increasingly mandatory for synthetic content.” ([03:00])

3. Why Some Podcasts Are Leading with Human Disclaimers

• Differentiate from AI-generated shows: With an influx of “hands-off” AI podcasts (sometimes unverified or unchecked), this disclaimer is a mark of authenticity.
• Builds trust: “It helped build up some trust for me as a listener of a show.” ([04:50])
• Future-proofing: Voluntary transparency keeps hosts ahead as regulations tighten.
• “Jay’s actually calling this out. It’s really proactive. It’s a signal that this is an authentic podcast created by a human.” ([01:40])

4. Should Independent Podcasters Use These Disclaimers?

• Situations where it makes sense:
  • If your brand is built on personal authenticity or features guests/celebrities.
  • If you target niches where trust is critical (business, health, spirituality, etc.).
• Less important for:
  • Hobbyist, indie, or short-form podcasts with obvious human formats or small audiences.
  • Production-heavy shows where AI is used only for audio enhancements (e.g., editing, clean-up).
• Alternatives to overt disclaimers:
  • Subtler tags like “authentic stories, real conversations” in intros, show notes, or artwork.
  • “Maybe in your show notes you put some kind of identifier that this is 100% human hosted AI-free content. That might be good.” ([07:10])

5. Comparison Example: AI-Generated Podcasts

• Dave samples a podcast entirely created by AI voices ([09:31–10:30]), highlighting the indistinct, generic output possible with AI.
• “Some of the people are automating this. Again, hands off. No idea what the podcast will be about, how it’s recorded, if it’s true, if it’s a fact…and that’s all generated by a machine.” ([10:54])

6. AI Tools: Use Wisely, But Don't Be Replaced!

• AI’s role as an invisible helper: Editing, transcripts, audio clean-up are fine—no need for disclosure.
• Human as the podcast’s true value: “What I need is you. There’s a—I'm a musician…” ([12:00])
• Story about AI-music: Dave enjoys an AI-generated 80s hair band song, but laments the lack of connection and authenticity:
  • “I will never be able to meet this band in person…because they’re just a computer program.” ([13:00])
• Key point: Listeners crave connection with real people; over-reliance on AI erodes uniqueness and engagement.
  • “Persons over prompts. There you go. I got a new shirt to come up with.” ([14:30])
• Advice: “Let AI tools stay invisible helpers in your show, but don’t give the keys of your show to an AI bot or an AI prompt to be your creative edge.” ([12:55])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On authenticity and trust:
  “Jay’s actually calling this out. It’s really proactive. It’s a signal that this is an authentic podcast created by a human.” — Dave ([01:40])

• Where AI fits:
  “AI accelerates and helps us with editing, helps us with transcripts. I don’t think we need to disclose that we’re using AI for that. But core hosting stays human competitive.” — Dave ([11:45])

• On the value listeners seek:
  “What I need is you. I don’t need your show. Persons over prompts.” ([14:30])

• On personal connection:
  “As much as I want to hate AI generated stuff, there’s some great stuff being created…It sounds amazing. I Do love it. It’s just, it’s not made by a person…If I have a choice between celebrating and supporting a person or a prompt, I’m going to go with a person.” ([12:40])

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Practical Tips for Podcasters

• Consider labeling your podcast as “Human Generated” if you want to:
  • Build trust and stand out from AI-generated noise
  • Emphasize your unique, personal storytelling or guest interaction
• Simple routes: verbal tags (“real conversations, real podcast”), show note mentions, or small artwork banners ([07:30])
• Use AI for productivity (editing, transcripts), but don’t outsource the core personality of your show to it ([12:55])
• Maintain consistency in calls to action to boost listener engagement ([19:30])
  • “Pick one, stick with it for a period of time, and then measure it.” ([20:22])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | | ---------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- | | 00:00 | Episode intro and opening thoughts on iHeart's "Guaranteed Human"| | 01:40 | Jay Shetty's use of disclaimers and rationale | | 03:00 | Current platform AI disclosure rules & regulations | | 04:50 | Trust & authenticity benefits of human disclaimers | | 07:10 | Alternatives to formal disclaimers and practical suggestions | | 09:31 | Sample of an AI-generated podcast | | 10:54 | Risks and character of AI-only podcasts | | 12:00 | AI as assistant vs. replacement; music analogy | | 14:30 | “Persons over prompts”—core message | | 19:30 | Listener engagement and optimizing calls to action | | 22:19 | Episode closes out with iHeart’s “Guaranteed Human” tagline |

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Final Thoughts

Dave leaves listeners with these takeaways:

• There’s no current rule demanding “human-generated” disclaimers, but in an era where AI is everywhere, personal authenticity is a feature.
• If you want listeners to connect, don’t hide behind generic AI output—be yourself and let your personality shine.
• Consider small, non-intrusive disclaimers if you serve discerning or trust-centric audiences.
• Use AI as an assistant, not a replacement: “I need you to be you if you want me to love your show.” ([12:55])
• Listener feedback is valued—reach out via the website's survey or contact links.

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Stay Human. Podcast On.

Transcript

[Dave]

This is an I heart podcast. Guaranteed human.

[Podcast Host/Co-host]

Okay, we're rolling. Hey, welcome back to the how to podcast series. This podcast is generated by a human being. There you go. Not something that I've ever done on the show before, but I've heard this on other podcasts where they're actually calling out that their podcast is created by an actual, like, living, breathing, heart beating human and not some AI sloppy stuff. So I'm like, well, I was listening to Jay Shetty's podcast at my night shift job overnights, and at the beginning of the podcast, at the very end, they have this little disclaimer and I'm like, wait a minute, wait a minute. Are we all doing this now? Because I haven't been doing this and all of my shows are human generated. I'm not using like a one click button. Hey, go make me a podcast while I go drink some coffee. I actually am doing this right now. I'm recording this as a human talking to a human. So maybe this is where we need to go. I. I don't know. Anyway, but here's the. Here's what it sounds like at the beginning of the podcast. This is actually Jay. This is at the beginning of the show. This is what he says. This is a iHeart podcast, Guaranteed Human. So should podcasters add human generated disclaimers like iHeartRadio is doing at this point? Jay Shetty's recent edition of Human generated disclaimers at the start and end of his podcast really stands out in a sea of AI clone voices, auto generated episodes. There are some podcasts that are being created where there's no human involvement at all. Like it's completely generated by AI tools and not even verified or listened to before they go live by the companies, I guess, that make these podcasts, if you want to call them that. And what I love is that Jay's actually calling this out. It's really proactive. It's a signal that this is an authentic podcast created by a human. But is it necessary for independent podcasters like you and I to be calling out that our show was made by a human? I don't know. I. I'm putting this out as a, as a question for the class. As we all kind of wrestle with this. There are some current platform requirements for the other way where we actually have to disclose that our podcast or content was created by AI. There's a few examples of this. At this point. No major platform requires human generated labels, but AI disclosure is increasingly mandatory for synthetic content. They're calling it now synthetic content. So Apple podcasts prominent notice in audio metadata if AI generates material portion of the podcast of the audio clone voices fabricated dialogue. And it's trying to ban misleading AI fake news which could create all kinds of havoc if it's putting out misinformation and all kinds of stuff. Right. So that's interesting. Spotify has label labels content as human, AI assisted or fully AI generated and bans unconsented voice cloning, which is interesting. RSS.com disclose synthetic voices. They want to identify AI scripts read out loud and fabricated or audio mimicking real people. YouTube also has an AI disclosure rule. Labels for realistic altered synthetic content. Exempts tools like audio cleanup and things like that. That that's fine. Or some music based audio as well. And then iHeartradios guaranteed human campaign bands synthetic vocalists in music pushes transparency for AI use example as well. So in the EU they have the EU a AI act effective August 2026 and mandates that deep fake disclosures with steep fines. FTC targets deceptive AI endorsements. No mandates though for identifying human content. So why is Jay Shetty leading with Human Generated as a call out at the beginning at the end of his podcast? Why? Why are they doing that on iHeartRadio?

[Dave]

This is an iHeart podcast, Guaranteed Human.

[Podcast Host/Co-host]

It could just be that they're trying to set themselves apart from all of the other stuff out there and make it crystal clear that this is a human generated content. AI episodes have been fluttering, flooding the directories lately and his disclaimer kind of screams premium trust building humanity connection. Like authentic authenticity. Like it's really kind of leaning that way. It's also helping to future proof as the regulations tighten. Voluntary transparency positions him ahead of the curve. Maybe because a lot of people aren't doing this. And I think for me, my initial response was it helped build up some trust for me as a listener of a show in voice driven audio. When things are kind of vague, it's hard, it leads to skepticism and you don't really know if you could trust the content. This kind of clarity for what Jay is doing and iheart is doing, I think it helps to retain the super fans. So should you add a human disclaimer to your show? Well, yes, if you build premium personal brands based around who you are, your coaching, your storytelling. Yes, if you're guests or celebrities are featured heavily, it protects against is that AI kind of doubts that people have and you target discerning niches like business, health, spirituality. Anything that sets you apart, you might want to have some kind of human Disclaimer. It doesn't have to be like, as iheartradio is doing, so formal at the beginning and end, but something that identifies that this is human content might be an idea. You could skip all this if your content is production heavy. So AI effects are okay, no disclosures needed. If you're going to use like Adobe Podcasts, which fixes your audio. Right. You don't. Do we really need to know that? It's kind of like the equivalent of, you know, on this song in the 1980s, we used electronic drums instead of acoustic drums. Right. Do we have to tell people we used electronic drums or can we just put the song out? Sometimes we use tools that are generally officially organic and that I don't think we really need to identify that at this point. You could skip all this too, if you have short form like news or something that's human generated. That way it's pretty obvious or indie hobby. It's kind of overkill for smaller podcasts with a small audience. Do they really need to know? Right. Jay Shetty is definitely in a bigger arena than we are. And iheartradio is also a big platform, so that might be something mandated across iHeartRadio, which trickles down to the podcast. But for you and I, I don't know if it's super necessary, but it is something to consider. It's like, why. Why do they think this is important enough to put it at the beginning, at the end of the show? It's interesting. So what are some approaches? Maybe no full disclaimer needed for your show, but how can we do this in a way that builds trust with our audience and lets them know they're in the right place for authentic human generated content. So maybe we do something like for this show, human stories, real conversations, real podcast content made by humans for humans. Hi, my name is Dave. This is the how to Podcast series. That's one. Maybe in your show notes you put some kind of identifier that this is a hundred percent human hosted AI free content. That might be good. You could also put it on your artwork. Possibly Human generated content alert. I don't know, something like that. Whatever you feel, if you feel this is important for your show, I think if you. Again, if you are a leader in your space and you are building authority in your topic, and maybe you're up against some other shows that you feel are really a heavy. This might be a way to set yourself apart from all the other shows. And people might feel more drawn to you simply by knowing that you like me. Are a human being creating this content? There are AI generated podcasts about podcasting. There's one I've been watching and checking out. It's two AI voices and they talk podcasting. I'm like, okay, that's interesting. So here's a little taste of that show.

[AI Generated Voice/Guest Speaker]

Welcome back to the deep dive. You know, walking through the city these days, and I mean, looking around right now in 2026, it really feels like the culture war is over. And audio one, it really does. You get on the train, you walk into a coffee shop, you go to the gym, and it's just a sea of earbuds. It feels completely ubiquitous.

[Dave]

Oh, absolutely.

[AI Generated Voice/Guest Speaker]

And it's so easy to look at that visual evidence and think, okay, mission accomplished. Every human being on Earth is now a podcast listener.

[Dave]

It certainly feels that way when you're just, you know, navigating the world. But if you actually stop and look at the data beneath those earbuds, the story is a lot more complicated.

[AI Generated Voice/Guest Speaker]

How so?

[Dave]

Just because everyone has headphones on doesn't mean they are all listening with the same level of intensity or even that they're enjoying what they hear.

[AI Generated Voice/Guest Speaker]

And that distinction is exactly what we are unpacking today. We aren't just looking at the raw numbers of who listens. We are trying to understand the intensity of fandom. Who loves this stuff, who is just

[Dave]

kind of tolerating it, and maybe most

[AI Generated Voice/Guest Speaker]

importantly, and this is the part that I found most surprising, who is actively listening but claims to dislike it.

[Dave]

Right. We are basing this deep dive on a report titled who listens to podcasts in 2026 plus who doesn't by Tiana Marinucci for co host. Okay, and to give this some proper weight, this analysis pulls data from the advertising.

[Podcast Host/Co-host]

You're unfamiliar with those voices presented by

[Dave]

the great Tom Webster at the podcast show.

[Podcast Host/Co-host]

Basically, the Notebook alum is a great way to take a bunch of content, written form or something, and then give you a summary in the form of what feels like a podcast. And people are actually using it to create their podcast and they're not actually showing up on the mic at all. And some of the people are automating this. Again, hands off. No idea what the podcast will be about, how it's recorded, if it's true, if it's a fact, and very interesting. So that's what's happening in podcasting, and that's all generated by a machine. So as a counterbalance to that, do we need to then have some kind of disclaimer that our podcast is made by a human, recorded by a human, listened to by humans. I don't know. What do you think? I think the bigger picture for us here as podcasters is that AI accelerates and helps us with editing, helps us with transcripts. I don't think we need to disclose that we're using AI for that. But core hosting stays human competitive. I think Shetty's move flips the script a little bit for us as podcasters. That human becomes a feature, not a default. It's not expected or anticipated that all content and all podcasts is human generated anymore. I think as I heart's guaranteed human endeavor, I think it helps prove and helps sell the authenticity of the show in an AI saturated podcast landscape right now. The key takeaway here, I think is there's no rules to enforce around human generated disclaimers. But I think as smart podcast hosts like Jay Shetty as we use them, I think it helps to kind of set us apart and build trust with a little bit of edge of identifying and calling out the obvious. Tag your humanity lightly in your intros, your notes. Let AI tools stay invisible helpers in your show, but don't give the keys of your show to an AI bot or an AI prompt to be your creative edge for your show. At the end of the day, I can write the same prompt that you do and get basically the same kind of response that you get. And in that, that cancels you out. I don't need your show. What I need is you. There's a, there's a. I'm a musician and there's a. There's a YouTube channel that has some AI generated music and it is like the best of all of the elements of music I love mixed together into a song. And there's a song I'm going to put in the show notes for you to go listen to. I'm from. I. I love 80s music, hair band stuff. That's what I play. That's kind of music I like to play and what I like to listen to. So I came across this song and I'm loving it. And I've talked about it before that, yeah, it's a great piece of music. But I will never be able to meet this band in person. I will never have tickets to one of their shows. I'll never get their autograph. I'll never have any interaction with them. I feel no allegiance to them because they're just a computer program of a bunch of stuff mashed together. And it's not real, but it's really good. I Do love it. It sounds amazing. So, as much as I want to hate AI generated stuff, there's some great stuff being created. It's just, it's not made by a person. And I want. If I have a choice between celebrating and supporting a person or a prompt, I'm going to go with a person. Persons over prompts. There you go. I got a new shirt to come up with. I when I meet podcasters who rely heavily on AI generated content, like, you haven't had a thought in the last five years. I'm like, is it you or is it AI in this moment? And I want you. I don't want your AI bot, I don't want your AI whatever working for me. I want you. So, yes, use AI, go check out, do research, have it as an invisible helper for you. But don't let it be you, please. I need you to be you if you want me to love your show. So if you've been leading too much towards AI, I'm bringing you back from the edge. And if you really want to have that Human Generated logo or label or disclaimer on your podcast, then you better show up. And I'm looking to see where we go from here. Maybe we do need to label our podcast as Human generated. I don't know. Something to think about. Let me know your thoughts. HowtoPodcast CA. So here at the how to Podcast series, we love to hear from you. You might think that we get a lot of feedback and we don't. We don't get a lot because people just feel like, why bother? Like, why does Dave really care what I have to say? And I do. I actually do really care what you have to say. I love your input. I love hearing from you. And we've started a survey for our listening audience, which includes you right here, right now. And I'd love, love, love for you to head over to HowToPodcast CA and you'll see our survey right there on our website and take a few minutes, come through, answer the thoughtful questions we're asking of you to make the show better, not just for you, but for everyone. Your feedback is really going to help shape the show and I selfishly just want to hear from you. So if you're thinking Dave probably already knows what I think. I don't. I really don't. I'm not good at reading minds. My wife will confirm that completely. So I don't really know what you think of the show. I don't know if you like it, if you like how long the show is how long the episodes are that Dave's doing. 365 episodes in a year. Oh my gosh. Like, I would love to hear from you and get your thoughts on this very show right here. So head over to howtopodcast Ca click on our survey link. It's also in the show notes for every episode in the most recent episodes. And I'd love to hear from you. So as a listener of this hear very show, your feedback can make this show so much better. So much better. And I'm not drowning in emails and voice messages and speak pipes and buy me a coffees right now. So I'm putting the ask out to you right now as a listener of the show and you're still here that you take a moment, head over to our website, click the link in the show notes for any episode, and go to our survey and let us know your thoughts about this show, how it could be better and what you love and what you're like. Dave, can you stop doing this? That would be really helpful. Thanks for being here and being part of the how to podcast family. See you over at howtopodcast Ca talk soon. Thanks for being here. Bye. You're still here. Great. So this again, I'm not. This is not an A.I. dave. This is Dave. This is me. I'm actually recording this in real life. I have a cold cup of coffee in front of me. I need to go refill. And again, if you want to help me refill my cup, buy me a coffee is on my website, by the way. So here's. Here's the comment that came to me recently when I was working with a podcaster. The question was, how do I get more people to respond to my calls to action. My thing at the end of the show that I want people to do as a result of listening to the episode. What. How do I get people to engage? Like, I, I have my, my speak pipe, I have my buy me a coffee, I have my send me a message, I have my whatever set up for people, but they just don't do it. And so part of it was for this particular podcaster was it was pretty random. Like it was here and there, hit and miss, not consistent. This call to action, this ask of your audience. So I asked them just to do it more often on a regular basis. And instead of like being so random and having multiple different calls to action, it's hard to measure right? Which what's working, what's not. So I asked them to have just one for a period of Time. So whether that's four episodes, which is like a month, or eight episodes, two months, something like that. But have the same consistent call to action because repetition builds over time. And there's numbers like you'd have to see or hear something seven times before you react. There's all these stats and stuff. But having something that's repeatable, anticipated by your audience because it's. It's not different every week might be a key for you. Your audience might be the opposite, where they like the variety. I. I don't know. You have to play with this a little bit. But if you want a buy me a coffee donation. Thank you. Then have a buy me a coffee call to action at the end of the show and leave it at that. Don't have three other calls to action because now you're muddying the water. And we don't really know how to measure the results of this. So pick one, stick with it for a period of time, and then measure it. Did I get a response? Did I get a dm? Did I get a voice message on Speak Bite? Did I get a buy me a coffee? Did someone leave me an email? Did somebody fill out my survey? Have a survey for this podcast in the show notes, whatever it is, put it out there on a regular basis and see the results. The results from my survey. Five people over 50 episodes have responded. Not a great response for the amount of people who listen to the show. But only a tiny percentage of people will ever respond to anything that you ask them to do. So don't get down on yourself for low response levels for a call to action. If the call to action brings value to the person reacting, they're more likely to react. If the call to action is an ego stroke for you, where it's just going to build up your ego, make you feel warm and fuzzy inside, and there's no value to the person doing the call to action, you're not going to get a great return on your request. So do something that values the audience, that benefits them, and you're more likely to get a response than if it's only focused on giving value to you. That's one thing to consider if you need help with your show and you're like, I got questions for Dave. You can always reach me howtopodcast CA on my website. There's my calendar link. Love having time with people like you. And anytime I can talk to a listener is my happiest moment of my life. So make me happy and reach out through my my calendar link. I'd love to talk to you. Thanks for being here. Take care. Keep podcasting.

[Dave]

This is an I heart podcast. Guaranteed human.