GoKawiilStephen Schenck / Android Authority
TL;DR Alexa Podcasts can now generate AI-hosted audio episodes on almost any topic for Alexa Plus users in the US.
You choose the topic and length of the podcast, then Alexa sources the content from over 200 publications.
You’re advised on the topics it intends to cover before generating, so you can tweak the direction at the outset.
The idea of AI-generated content in any medium might immediately make some people bristle, but some use cases are better than others. For instance, I’d argue that NotebookLM’s Audio Overviews (now also available in Gemini) are a genuinely good way not only to summarise your notes, but also to do so in a way that is easily digestible on your commute or while you go about your day-to-day chores. Amazon appears to have picked up on this niche, with the retailer today releasing a new feature called Alexa Podcasts.
Would you use AI tools that explain or summarise books on your Kindle? 1004 votes Yes, for complex books. 34 % Yes, for everything. 35 % No, I like backtracking and research. 19 % Not sure. 12 %
Amazon announced the new Alexa Plus feature in a news post today, explaining that it can generate podcast-style episodes on almost any topic in just a few minutes. Unlike NotebookLM, which generally turns your own source material into an audio discussion, Alexa Podcasts starts with little more than your chosen topic and then pulls the information together for you.
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That makes it convenient, but it also asks you to put more faith in Amazon’s AI and its source selection. The company says Alexa Plus draws from more than 200 news publications and other sources, including the Associated Press, Reuters, the Washington Post, TIME, and more. The resulting episodes use AI-generated host voices.
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