Spotify is making it easier for everyone to listen to podcasts thanks to the help of AI. While most podcasts are hosted in English, not all of them are. And if you’re not fluent in English or the language they’re speaking, you might have a hard time understanding what’s being said. But with the use of AI, Spotify will now be able to translate the podcast into your native language.
The company announced on its website that it plans to use OpenAI’s newly released voice generation technology to translate podcasts into different languages. The voice won’t be monotonous either. Spotify says the AI voice will match the original speaker’s style of speaking, “making for a more authentic listening experience”.
“By matching the creator’s own voice, Voice Translation gives listeners around the world the power to discover and be inspired by new podcasters in a more authentic way than ever before,” says Ziad Sultan, VP of Personalization. “We believe that a thoughtful approach to AI can help build deeper connections between listeners and creators, a key component of Spotify’s mission to unlock the potential of human creativity.”
Spotify says voice-translated episodes from pilot creators will be available worldwide to Premium and Free users. Some of these are already available today. The initial rollout of the feature will be English to Spanish translations. However, the company plans to follow up with translations in French and German in the near future. There’s no word yet about other languages, but it is likely in the works as well.
While the translated podcasts are still limited for now, we can’t wait to see it fully implemented in the future. Imagine listening to Japanese podcasts translated into English or vice versa for Japanese audiences. The possibilities are limitless.
