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PPodcast creators beware. This week, Google launched NotebookLM, an experimental note-taking tool that can create an audio “deep conversation” about any document you want to upload. Read: An AI-generated podcast.
The results, frankly, are astonishing. There are two presenters whose American-accented voices are almost impeccably believable as humans, and whose personal jokes, digressions, and interjections (as well as a tendency to include separate pieces of research to help explain their paper) are almost indistinguishable from the work of humans. Assuming, of course, that we are talking about fairly competent humans.
In a recent Hear Here introduction about the longevity of podcasts compared to television, NotebookLM talked about Off Menu due to its mention in the article (“I literally listened to episodes of Off Menu in public and laughed out loud, like , he laughed out loud!”). He also introduced some astute observations that aren’t included in the article itself (“Interesting, isn’t it? I think maybe traditional listener fatigue doesn’t apply in the same way, because podcast audiences are largely self-selecting.” ; that is, we choose what we listen to. We are committed from the beginning. I was less pleased with the podcast that was produced in response to a report about dampness in my house (“That sounds like something out of a horror movie!”).
It may not be perfect, but it’s scary how impressive the results are. How long will it be until a fully AI-generated program takes off? And how easy would it be to send someone one of these audio files and convince them that it’s a legitimate human-made podcast?
I suspect the answers would not captivate the production companies. In the meantime, let’s focus on a variety of great new human-made shows: Read on for the week’s best shows and five of the best podcasts for understanding the US election.
Alex Duggins
Deputy television director
Picks of the week
Rumble: Ali/Foreman and the soul of ’74
Widely available, weekly episodes.
Fifty years ago, Muhammad Ali and George Foreman met in a heavyweight championship fight in Zaire. But before the legendary Rumble in the Jungle there was a festival, with a lineup that was a who’s who of great black musicians: James Brown, BB King, Bill Withers and Miriam Makeba. In this brilliant podcast, journalist Zaron Burnett shows what a feat it was to accomplish, in a context of political tension and giant egos. Hannah Verdier
Failed: Attention deficit
Audible, all episodes now available
ADHD medications can have enormous benefits, but, as people who speak to Leon Neyfakh and Arielle Pardes say, they can sometimes come at a cost. In a world where everyone has an opinion on the topic, it’s comforting to hear what it’s really like to live with ADHD and what happens when there are medication shortages. high voltage
List of deaths
Widely available, weekly episodes.
When tech journalist Carl Miller discovered a list of names on the dark web, he stumbled upon a murder-for-hire site. What happens is a horrible story in which he discovers too much about the people in it and has to convince the authorities to investigate before more names are flagged. high voltage
mag witches
Widely available, weekly episodes.
Problem pages, sex advice and lamb advertorials: old women’s magazines are a rich landscape. Journalists Franki Cookney and Lucy Douglas ask what’s changed as they flip through an October 1982 issue of Cosmopolitan with all its sexual tactics, advice from men and – in what was an enduring staple of the genre – the promise of a flat stomach. high voltage
Know your place
Widely available, weekly episodes.
Despite Keir Starmer’s insistence that his father was a toolmaker, the recent election indicated that voting is no longer a clear case of Labor for the working class and Conservative for the middle class. But what does class in 2024 really mean? The Conversation’s Laura Hood investigates, including a look at the Lib Dems’ “Gail strategy” to capture the middle classes. Hollie Richardson
There’s a podcast for that.
This week, Charlie Lindlar choose five of the best podcasts on the american electionsfrom a recounting of Kamala Harris’ rise to a show by three anti-Trump Republicans
I could save America
After Donald Trump’s election in 2016, four former Obama administration staffers – Jons Favreau y Lovett, Dan Pfeiffer and Tommy Vietor – wanted to build a platform that would be a safe haven for liberal Americans who were not yet “ready to give up.” give up or go crazy.” Seven years later, Pod Save America is perhaps he The quintessential American political podcast, breaking down events with a balance of laid-back charm, millennial swearwords, and insider knowledge, creating a devoted fandom in the process. The show is quickly approaching 1,000 episodes, still attracting 1.5 million listeners per episode, and has spawned the broader Crooked Media podcast network, including a new series from Democratic politician Stacey Abrams.
The next level
Mirroring Pod Save America, this show sees former Republican strategists analyze the race for the White House from a center-right perspective. Guardian readers may wonder what makes the views of Sarah Longwell, Tim Miller and Jonathan V Last worth listening to: all three are avowed “Never Trumpers” who loathe the former president and what he has done to the party they love. (in fact, I recently expected Tim Walz to “destroy” JD Vance in their recent vice presidential debate.) That makes the trio fascinating voices to explain both the state of American conservatism and the threat that a second Trump presidency poses to the American project.
Kamala: next in line
To get away from the hectic news schedule for a bit, watch this short MSNBC series, in which Joy Reid charts Kamala Harris’s political rise from student to senator through the San Francisco district attorney’s office. The nine-episode series debuted late in the 2020 election as a character study of the woman who would become Joe Biden’s vice president, but still serves as a key to understanding Harris’ beliefs and motivations as she seeks the presidency. And from the prosecutor to the defendant, one more recommendation from MSNBC: Prosecuting Donald Trumpan indispensable guide for the numerous legal battles in which the former president is involved.
Trump, Inc.
Another trip to 2020 for this joint production between public radio station WNYC and the nonprofit organization ProPublica. This investigative podcast sought to delve deeper into Donald Trump’s business dealings and what they reveal about the president’s motivations (and significant conflicts of interest). Not only is the series brilliantly told, it remains a gruesome expose of the 2024 Republican nominee, and one of the most thorough dissections of the cronyism and corrupt behavior at the heart of the Trump camp.
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Politics Weekly America
And of course, for an in-depth look at the presidential race and what’s at stake not just for America but for an anxiously watching world, The Guardian’s Jonathan Freedland presents this weekly look across the Atlantic. Every Friday, Freedland checks in with Guardian correspondents and other esteemed guests about the latest developments from the battleground states, Harris’ chances of reaching the top job, the looming specter of Project 2025, and more. And for even more information, be sure to tune in to US Election Extra, a daily 10-minute briefing with Lucy Hough, in the Today in Focus feed since Monday.
Why not try it…?
A loving ode to celebrity breakups How were they.
Journalist Jane MacSorley and Thomas Ross KC take listeners into a real-life courtroom drama in the BBC series. Internal murder trial.