Edison Research at SSRS has spent years researching the relationship between
podcast hosts and their audience, with countless studies illustrating the
strong connection hosts have with consumers. With the recent explosion of
AI, we’ve started to investigate the role AI should play in podcasting.
Custom survey questions were added to Edison Podcast Metrics in Q1 2026
to help us understand how consumers would feel if their favorite hosts were
replaced by AI.

Edison Podcast Metrics asked weekly consumers how they would feel if
their favorite podcast host started using an AI-generated version to host
their podcast. Most weekly podcast consumers, 66%, reacted negatively to
the idea. One-third of weekly podcast consumers said they would feel
“deceived”, with another third feeling “upset”. Thirty-two percent said
“skeptical”, followed by 28% who felt “betrayed”.

Only 27% of weekly podcast consumers selected any positive emotion. 14%
of weekly podcast consumers were “impressed” by the usage of an AI-
generated host. Another 12% were optimistic, and 10% were “fascinated”,
all at the bottom of the list.

The survey did include an option for weekly podcast consumers who felt neutral on this topic. Only 18% said they would feel “indifferent” to their favorite podcast host using an AI-generated version of themselves on their podcast.

Interested in understanding more about the usage of AI in podcasting? Subscribe to Edison Podcast Metrics to learn more about the data we already have, as well as an opportunity to add more custom questions.

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