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“It’s soft advertising,” says Mandy B, one of the hosts of the sex and lifestyle show Decisions, decisions. The videos and the discourse they broadcast are rehearsed in toxic gender tropes. “It subtly shapes beliefs and expectations without offering depth or accountability. It reminds me of how the American Dream was packaged and sold for decades: a clean, repeatable narrative that didn’t necessarily reflect the messy, diverse realities people were actually living. This content does something similar with relationships. It promotes easily digestible ideals without context, nuance, or responsibility.”
However, actual dialogue is not the ultimate goal of these accounts. Almost all of the pages WIRED reviewed were a funnel for paid courses on the impact of AI. Plus a Digital Business Launch Kit ($117) or a six-week Product Acceleration Crash Course ($147), creator Behind Ari Banks’ Avatar offers a $497 lesson plan called “Artificial Intelligence Content University” Where people learn to “create viral AI-powered podcasts and talking head content, master Realism™ (so your content doesn’t sound like AI), and use lip sync + audio reproduction to bring your content to life.” It promised to “monetize your content (not just views).”
Amnesty International with Lottie, Luxe Account Builderwhich claims to have grown its Facebook page to 100,000 followers and 12 million views in less than 30 days, is selling a course called “AI Luxe Academy” for $84. And you can purchase for $9.97 Melissa devine“300+ Quotes for Women Who Refuse to Settle” to help write the AI podcaster’s identity.
“This is essentially the same principle that drives high-performing influencer content: specificity and emotional resonance,” says Lily Kumba, founder and CEO of influencer marketing agency. Superbloom. “The difference is that AI runs these rules of the game at scale. But engagement without a relationship underneath has a ceiling. Influencer marketing has learned this lesson the hard way, and I expect AI creators to hit the same wall.”
Perhaps the biggest harm in these videos is how regular they are. The world of AI is now polluted with manipulated content that is either bizarre, violent, erotic or cartoonishly shocking – some people are still obsessed with these things. Fruit videos– Yet AI-powered podcasts are largely adopting a Normal tone. There is nothing particularly exceptional in the scenes except for the tips given. This is what makes them sneaky.
But the creators behind these flawless AI characters don’t seem to realize that the importance of podcasting — and perhaps the power of the medium — lies in human imperfection: conversations, opinions, and experiences that aren’t always neatly packaged but shared with a kind of unedited candor.
However, Mandii B understands why people are drawn to this style of artificial relationship content. “They’re looking for direction. When something seems confident, polished, and widely accepted, it’s easy to trust it.” She’s not worried that AI-powered podcasters will replace her anytime soon. She says the popularity of these videos boils down to a larger issue that concerns society. “People don’t like to think for themselves.”