Spotify has announced that its English-language podcasts will soon be translated into Spanish. There would be nothing extraordinary about this if it weren't for the fact that artificial intelligence will be used for the translation. Translations into German and French are also expected to appear in the coming weeks.
Spotify will use artificial intelligence!
Spotify, one of the most popular music platforms in the world, is preparing to introduce significant changes that could transform the way we listen to podcasts. The latest innovation it plans to introduce is translating English-language podcasts into other languages using artificial intelligence. Although at first glance this may seem like science fiction, it is becoming a reality very soon.
The platform recently partnered with a group of foreign podcasters to use a new AI-based tool to translate English-language podcasts into Spanish. But that's not the end of the plans – in the future, AI is to translate entire episodes into German and French as well. A voice transcription tool was used for the entire project – OpenAI Whisper.
Which podcasts will be translated?
Among the podcasters taking part in this remarkable initiative are Lex Fridman, Monica Padman, Dax Shepard, Steven Bartlett and Bill Simmons. It is their podcasts that will be translated into foreign languages and made available to a broader international audience.
According to information from The Verge, the new feature is to "translate entire podcasts into another language and play them back in a synthetic version of the podcasters' own voices." This means that listeners will be able to enjoy content in their native language while preserving the distinctive sound and style of the hosts.
By matching the creator's voice, Voice Translation gives listeners around the world the ability to discover new podcasts and be inspired by them in a more authentic way than ever before - Ziad Sultan, Spotify's vice president of personalization
Spotify will translate podcasts, but with respect for creators
Spotify will strive to maintain ethics and respect toward real artists and podcast hosts.
Artificial intelligence should not be used to impersonate human artists without their consent" - Daniel Ek, co-founder and CEO of Spotify
Spotify's initiative to translate podcasts using artificial intelligence opens up fascinating possibilities for access to podcast content around the world. It is a step toward greater global integration and the development of the podcast industry, although at the same time it emphasizes the importance of ethics and respect for real creators. We can only wait for the launch of this feature and see what new horizons it will open for podcast fans around the world.
Key concepts from the article
AI — Artificial Intelligence. A set of methods and systems performing tasks that usually require human reasoning, learning, perception or content generation. In HEXX AI CMS it encompasses language models, document analysis and automations.
Why it matters: It takes over repetitive tasks — transcriptions, descriptions, translations, selection — and shortens the path from idea to publication. In an editorial office it means more time for work that a machine won't do: evaluation, contacts, decisions.
When it is used: For generating and editing content, document analysis, transcription, translation and automating the flow of materials.
What happens if you skip it: Without AI, a team performs mass work manually (photo descriptions, language versions, summaries), while the competition publishes faster and cheaper.
