January 15

17 comments

OBS PODCAST DEMO: unlocking the Power of AI for OBS Members

By David

January 15, 2025

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  • I enjoyed the content, David. It’s evergreen content that will help OBS members write better feedback. The only issue I had was the robotic nature of the speech. Some of the inflections in speech felt unnatural at times, but I’m sure that can all be improved. Overall, once you improve the speech and delivery, it’s a definite keeper and will be of great benefit. It’s something I would listen to on my phone. Thanks again for providing this new tool for OBS!

  • Thank you for posting! Like the introduction of writing from brain to computer or even speaking to computer, instead of paper to computer…A.I. will eventually become as “normal” and less judgmental on our part. We’ll just accept the difference. Yeah…you know…like…like….like a new anchor or actor on a program 🙂 It will only get better!

  • It is good to see that OBS embracing A.I. in order to stay current and relevant. The podcasts are a solid source of information, aligning well with the current trends. However, there were some noticeable areas for improvement. The delivery had moments of lagging and timing issues, with an overemphasis on certain words that typically are not spoken naturally in the English language = artificial.

    The male voice in the first clip did not sound authentically African American and lacked a natural variety of tones, making it feel more robotic. The male podcaster’s voice was slower and interrupted the female podcaster, which disrupted the flow. The female podcaster’s tone was definitely more natural and relatable.

    Fine-tuning these aspects will create a more engaging and human-like listening experience for OBS members. I would listen if the content remains current, relevant, and tailored to real human interests and industry-specific topics. Overall, so glad we are taking steps to bring new content to the group and A.I. will help bring this info to us in a simpler process.

  • The fact that the voices sound like polished Black folk who were raised in New Hampshire didn’t bother me. LOL. I love how she was always over-talking him. So human!
    I found the information to be a good reminder on giving quality notes and receiving them gracefully.

  • Wow, I think this is the first time I’ve listened to an AI-generated podcast! Great information provided here. There are moments where the AI sounds robotic, but that wasn’t too distracting to me (I know that’ll vary from person to person based on an individual’s feelings regarding AI usage).

    I’m looking forward to seeing what’s coming up next!

  • This presentation was very helpful in regards to giving feedback. It gave examples how it is properly done and addressed the apprehension some of us may have about being too critical. They pointed out that it’s a skill and how to develop it correctly. Once developed, that skill can help propel the works of our whole community towards an excellence we cannot achieve on non-OBS sites. The conversational way of speaking made it easier to relate to. Being AI personas didn’t distract from the message too much. I’ve seen presentations from living, breathing, farting professors that were more stiff and less helpful. Yes, bring them back for more There is a lot more to learn about this craft if we desire to outshine the competition. Glad to see Devonta Freeman have a career after football. He was a great running back.

  • Lots of great reminders on how to give the best feedback! I agree that honesty is so important as is being able to meet the writer where they are in order to really discuss their script in detail without a superior mindset.

    I believe that good questions and suggestions help writers to come up with new ideas that quickly satisfy the note or “hole” that is encountered. For me, the best notes come from talking about the character’s arc, their motivation and relationship to other characters. This keeps the conversation grounded in the authentic work and hopefully it helps to keep the writer from shutting down creatively. I admit that sometimes my written notes can be overwhelming because I give very detailed comments but I always tell writers to use what they can and toss the rest because ultimately, it’s their story.

    Also, I liked the suggestion of keeping the word “I” out of the feedback! That is a great way to help keep focus on the writer’s story without adding my biases. That’s a tough one. I’m going to really ponder that and then work to embrace it.

    So many other great tips. I took lots of notes to remind myself of the best practices for giving notes. Thank you.

    As for my feedback on future episodes, it is my hope that this becomes more of a natural conversation between the two hosts.

    Please keep the great tips coming!

  • This was very useful! Especially for more recent members such as myself in regards to ways that we can strengthen our feedback and mazimixe our potential. Personally, I know that I will benefit from any topics that OBS covers. Some additional topics of interest include backstories of both prominent and underground black screenwriters, new industry trends and writing tips. Looking forward to tuning in!

  • I like the idea of starting an OBS podcast and think it is a fantastic step forward for us. Also, I support having one version for good-standing OBS members and another for the public. This approach creates value for members while showcasing OBS’s innovation to a wider audience.

    However, the demo feels and sounds more like AI (slow robotic) than real people talking, which might detract from its message. Is there a way to add a more human tone/pace? If not, maybe have the hosts embrace the idea that they are AI screenwriting gurus. Some angle to make the robotic pace and tone acceptable. Especially when the hosts use slang. Overall, we’re on the right path heading into the future of storytelling. Onward and upward.

    • Great point, M.B. So here’s the ethical rub! How human do we want A.I. to sound? There’s a way to train the A.I voices (it takes a lot of time up front and some good voice acting) to where you wouldn’t know you were listening to non humans. However, because were using AI, quite frankly this is possible and within budget. Yet, I struggled with the idea of Devanté and Sasha sounding “too human”. After all, they can work forever without pay; we reveal at the top of the broadcast that they are artificial. Some in the industry might balk at us “replacing humans”. However, we couldn’t produce this podcast and a few other things if we are about to launch if we depended upon human labor; so, no one is being “replaced”. My question is do we want them to sound so real that people believe they are “real’ or is there a line between robotic and lifelike that works? Does everyone think they sound “robotic” or is it only certain phrases or in spurts? Asking for an organization.

      • For me, only the male voice sounds robotic here, but in the OBS orientation overview podcast, it sounded so realistic that I almost thought it was real for a second. At first, it kind of gave me Uncanny Valley vibes, but it grows on you when you look at AI voice (for just in this instance) as a manufactured assistant that delivers a written message from a human rather than someone’s replacement, especially since, like Siri, it takes voice samples from a human. I was brushing my teeth and doing my skin care routine as I was listening to it, but I still managed to learn everything I needed to know prior to orientation.

        I don’t think it should be too big of a concern to have AI sound more realistic, I think it just matters if you handle it ethically. For example, not using these voices to the public for monetary gain or creating false claims using someone else’s sampled voice.

        • I think I found a more realistic sounding but within budget solution. We may be firing Devante. The first true episode for OBS will be published in early February for Black History month. We launch in the middle of the month for the general public.

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