This AI Startup Does 3,000 Podcasts a Week

Plus: The web's new toll booth for AI companies, agencies against Meta, and one AI video platform to rule them all.

Sep 11, 2025

👋 Happy Thursday AI Marketers. It feels like AI is finally getting practical. There’s a new business model betting on AI generated podcasts at scale. A new tool that takes AI video production to a whole new level. A new plan to make AI companies pay up for scraping content. And lots more. Let’s get you caught up…

AI Generated Podcasts are Here (Tons of Them)

Former Wondery exec Jeanine Wright thinks the future of podcasts is volume at scale. Her startup, Inception Point AI, is already running more than 5,000 podcasts, spitting out 3,000 episodes every week, and testing SEO-friendly titles to see what sticks.

The formula? Cheap production. About $1 per episode to be exact. With AI-generated hosts like foodie Claire Delish and nature lover Nigel Thistledown ready to deploy (along with 184 custom AI agents), it only takes an hour to get an episode from outline to online. And, with programmatic ads bolted on top, a podcast with a mere 20 listeners can still be profitable. Stack that across thousands of niches, and you start to see the strategy.

Wright claims it isn’t about replacing human podcasters. It’s about creating a new genre. But it’s hard to imagine this tidal wave of content won’t lead to displacement.

Hollywood Reporter →

The Internet’s New Plan to Make AI Pay Up

The free ride may be over for AI companies scraping websites for training data. RSS co-creator Eckart Walther and a group of publishers have launched Real Simple Licensing (RSL), a protocol to license that data at scale. Sites add a special robots.txt file, and a collective negotiates royalties, like ASCAP does for music. Reddit, Quora, and Yahoo are already in. The test now is whether AI labs will actually pay to play.

TechCrunch →

Apple’s Big iPhone Event: Everything but AI

As expected, Apple’s “Awe Dropping” iPhone 17 launch lacked both awe and AI. Tim Cook hyped hardware, silicon, and speed, while the AI tricks were mostly reheated from June. Meanwhile, Google and Samsung are miles ahead, showing off agentic assistants. Is Apple falling back to its comfort zone… polish the devices and bet on brand loyalty? Or do they have an AI ace up their sleeve in the near future?

The Verge →

Meta’s “Easy Button” for Ads Leaves Agencies Fighting for Relevance

Meta’s Advantage+ uses AI to put ad targeting, testing, and budgeting on autopilot. Enter a credit card, press go, and trust the black box. Needless to say, agencies aren’t thrilled. So, they’re building their own tools for insights on who gets targeted, where ads run, and why. Omnicom has even published a playbook on “AI buying agents,” a direct shot at Meta’s opacity. The agency vs AI battle is getting spicy.

Ad Age →

Google Finally Admits: The Open Web Is Dying

In a court filing, Google admitted the open web is “in rapid decline.” That’s a far cry from its usual line that search clicks are peachy. Google says it meant “open web advertising,” but the distinction doesn’t matter. It’s a downward spiral. The more search shifts toward AI-generated answers and zero-click results, the less traffic websites get. Less traffic means less revenue from ads, sales, or subscriptions. And without healthy businesses, the internet is in trouble.

Ars Technica →

Veo 3 is fine for quick clips, but serious content creators need more control and more tools. That’s why Google is showcasing what developers are building with Veo 3, and Invisible Studio is a highlight. It’s an AI platform for short-form video that streamlines everything from storyboards to scenes to episodes. Use it for ads, trailers, sizzle reels, social posts, even product prototypes. Think of Veo 3 as the engine and Invisible Studio as the cockpit.

🎙️ My top 3 podcast picks this week:

A16Z PODCAST

The ‘Little Tech’ Agenda for AI

Big Tech is writing the AI rules in Washington. But Matt Perault and Collin McCune have a “Little Tech Agenda” that could finally give founders a voice in shaping AI policy. Hear how smarter regulation can protect innovation instead of crushing it.

Listen →

MARKETING COMPANION

How AI Impacts the Sales Process

Customers are using AI to discover products, research options, and get recommendations. Sandy Carter joins Mark Schaefer to explain what it means for B2B and B2C brands when AI becomes part of every buying decision.

Listen →

CMO CONFIDENTIAL

The Disparate Impact of Privacy Policy

Attribution keeps getting harder, driving up CAC and punishing smaller brands most. Dr. Dan McCarthy explains how privacy crackdowns have impacted marketing performance and shares a channel-specific playbook for measuring smarter.

Listen →

Have a favorite podcast to recommend? Shoot me the details.

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