Get your FREE tickets for the 2026 HPN Symposium
With HPN’s Symposium 2026 fast approaching, now is the time to register for the annual gathering of podcasters, scholars, educators, students and audio professionals. Taking place online on 23-24 October, the free event brings together voices from across the humanities podcasting community to explore ideas, share experiences and build new connections.
This year’s theme,”What to do now?”: Humanities Podcasting, Agency and Avowal, invites participants to reflect on the role of podcasting at a time when public discourse, expertise and independent voices face growing challenges. Sessions will explore topics including creative freedom, public engagement, expertise, sustainability and community-building, offering practical insights as well as opportunities for discussion and collaboration.
Attendance is free and open to anyone interested in humanities podcasting, public scholarship and audio storytelling. Whether you’re a seasoned podcaster or just beginning your podcasting journey, the symposium offers a welcoming space to learn, connect and be inspired. Visit the Humanities Podcast Network website where we’ll very soon be sharing the full programme and click read more to register your place.
FIRST LOOK: Artwork Unveiled for The Palgrave Handbook of Humanities Podcasting Podcast
Humanities Podcast Network is delighted to share an exclusive first look at the artwork for the forthcoming podcast accompanying The Palgrave Handbook of Humanities Podcasting.
Edited by founding members of the Humanities Podcast Network, the handbook brings together more than 80 contributors from across the global humanities podcasting community. Drawing on their experiences as podcasters, educators and researchers, the authors explore the theory and practice of humanities podcasting and its role in creating new forms of scholarly conversation.
The companion podcast extends that conversation beyond the printed page. Each section of the handbook is paired with an audio episode in which contributors come together to discuss their chapters, reflect on key themes, and demonstrate humanities podcasting in action. The series offers listeners a chance to hear a diverse range of voices engaging with ideas in a format that is collaborative, accessible and distinctly human.
We’re delighted to share an exclusive first look at the artwork for the forthcoming podcast accompanying The Palgrave Handbook of Humanities Podcasting.
With publication drawing closer, the newly revealed artwork offers an exciting glimpse of what’s to come. Keep an eye on future HPN newsletters for more updates on both the handbook and the podcast series.
Artwork and release details will be shared across HPN channels in the coming months.
Spotlight on a Podcast Topic: Artificial Intelligence and the Rise of A.I. Podcasting
AUTHOR: Carl Hartley
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing the podcasting landscape, offering creators new tools for tasks such as transcription, editing, scriptwriting, voice generation and content promotion. While many podcasters are using AI to streamline production workflows, a growing number of companies are taking the technology a step further by using it to create entire podcasts with minimal or no human involvement (PodNews, 2026; Morris, 2025).
This trend has raised concerns across the podcast industry. A report published by Podnews in April 2026 highlighted the increasing number of AI-generated podcasts appearing in podcast directories, many of them featuring synthetic hosts, automated scripts and content produced at scale. The report pointed to the activities of Inception Point AI, a company that has been able to generate hundreds of podcasts across a wide range of topics, demonstrating how AI can be used to flood the market with large volumes of content.
For podcast creators and educators, the development raises important questions. If AI-generated podcasts attract significant audiences, they may become a profitable business model through advertising, sponsorship and platform payments. However, the ease with which content can now be produced has also fuelled fears of increased podcast spam, lower-quality information and the potential dilution of discoverability for independently produced shows.
There are also legal and ethical considerations. Many AI systems are trained using vast quantities of online content, leading to ongoing debates about copyright, ownership and the use of other people’s creative work. Podcasters using AI-generated scripts, voices, music or artwork may need to consider who owns the resulting content and whether copyrighted material has been incorporated into the tools used to create it. These issues are likely to become increasingly significant as AI-generated audio becomes more common and more sophisticated.
As AI continues to evolve, podcasting finds itself at a crossroads. The technology offers exciting opportunities for innovation and accessibility, but it also presents challenges for creators, audiences and regulators alike. The key question for the industry may not be whether AI should be used in podcasting, but how it can be used responsibly while preserving trust, creativity and authenticity.
A key question for HPN members might also be what role can we play in helping shape the future of AI-generated audio?
Researchers are well placed to investigate the impact of AI on podcast creation, audience trust and media literacy, while educators can help learners develop the critical skills needed to understand both the opportunities and challenges presented by these emerging technologies. Together, they have an important role in ensuring that innovation is balanced with responsibility.
We’d love to hear your thoughts. Share your views with the HPN team (e-mail: c.d.hartley@leeds.ac.uk) and we may feature selected responses in a future edition of the HPN Newsletter.
REFERENCES:
Firemark, G.P. (2025) How to Use AI in Podcasting: The Exciting Opportunity and the Legal Minefield. Available at: https://podnews.net/article/how-to-use-ai-in-podcasting-legal (Accessed: 30 September 2026).
Jorgovan, J. (2025) How AI is Impacting the Podcasting Industry. Available at: https://jake-jorgovan.com/blog/ai-impact-on-podcasting-industry (Accessed: 30 September 2026).
Morris, J.W. (2025) Artificial Audio: Emerging Uses of AI in Podcasting. AoIR Selected Papers of Internet Research. Available at: https://spir.aoir.org/ojs/index.php/spir/article/view/14007 (Accessed: 30 September 2026).
PodNews (2026) More new AI-generated podcasts than human ones. Available at: https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/podnews-daily/more-new-ai-generated-swZnQFeP0J1/ (Accessed: 30 September 2026).
Share Your Podcast News
What’s happening in your podcasting world?
Whether you’re involved in an exciting podcasting project, nearing the completion of podcast-related work, or have a question you’d like to share with the HPN community, we’d love to hear from you.
Send your updates, achievements, opportunities, and ideas to c.d.hartley@leeds.ac.uk with “HPN Newsletter” in the subject line, and we may feature your contribution in a future newsletter.
