To commemorate its golden jubilee, Microsoft orchestrated a grand celebration known as the Copilot extravaganza, unveiling a plethora of innovative AI features for the Copilot chatbot. A standout reveal among the array was the Copilot Podcasts feature which piqued my interest, reminiscent of my previous encounter with NotebookLM, a spellbinding AI-generated podcast tool. Naturally, the time had come to subject Microsoft’s Copilot Podcasts to a rigorous examination, delving into the depths of its realism and authenticity.
Fortuitously, Copilot Podcasts is readily accessible for eager users to explore at this very moment, a privilege not extended to the other disclosed features from the event. Embark on your Copilot journey by launching the app on your preferred platform – Windows, macOS, Android, or iOS – and simply input the command “create a podcast on…”. Behold as Copilot swiftly crafts a 4-minute AI podcast in under a minute. Alternatively, the podcast generation can be initiated via Microsoft Copilot’s official website.
Upon completion, a notification will alert you of the podcast’s readiness on your device, or journey to Copilot’s homepage to bask in the AI-generated podcast’s glory. It must be noted that the interface lacks playback speed controls and downloading capabilities for the AI-generated podcast.
In my scholarly quest, I tasked Copilot with composing a podcast dissecting China’s burgeoning prowess in AI. Given my purview of all things AI at Moyens I/O, this topic deemed fitting for scrutinizing Copilot’s podcasting prowess. Unlike the mellifluous and immersive conversational experience offered by NotebookLM, Copilot’s Podcasts emanate a synthetic and robotic timbre, bereft of natural pauses or human-like expressiveness. The interaction between the AI hosts felt starkly monotonous, akin to a rehearsed daily briefing rather than an engaging dialogue.
True to form, Copilot Podcasts exude a modicum of emphasis and tonal fluctuations, yet fails to capture the realism one would crave. The content scarcely delves beyond surface-level topics, with DeepSeek R1’s evolution being the centerpiece. Much like a verbose soliloquy, Copilot Podcasts lacked substance and depth, failing to engage on a meaningful level.
By comparison, the NotebookLM podcast boasts a 20-minute discourse on the subject matter, adorned with intricate cross-talk between the AI hosts and natural pauses. The experiential voyage with NotebookLM culminates with real-time engagement features and the ability to adjust playback speed and download the audio clip, setting a lofty standard for AI-generated podcasts.
Summarily, Copilot Podcasts emerges as a nascent endeavor in its present state, rife with tonal discrepancies and a lack of conversational finesse. Microsoft’s paramount task lies in enhancing Copilot Podcasts with profound insights and elevating the audio tonality to furnish a more lifelike experience, one that reverberates with the melodious cadence of authenticity and depth.
