Read the latest from Pete Price
Podcasts are definitely the new radio – that and Alexa.
My podcast – The Very Best of Pete Price – gets over 600,000 downloads a month, which I find amazing. I don’t earn any money for it.
I just love keeping in touch with my listeners. It’s a great way of doing it, as I am there for you to switch on at any time, day or night.
Jonathan Dean helps me put it together. He was my producer and friend for 16 years when I had my phone in on Radio City.
I’ve now got a back catalogue of over 200 interviews with people from all walks of life, and my listeners are from all over the world including Spain and the USA. My biggest fans are in England, but now I am getting many listeners from Ukraine.
I know so many people that now listen to podcasts. As of early 2025 there were almost 4.3m podcasts worldwide, which is a huge leap from years ago.
So I just keep plodding along, interviewing interesting people and their stories. You don’t need lots of expensive equipment either to create a podcast, I just use my phone.
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Now, I’ve discovered AI though and it scares the living daylights out of me. The AI systems can collect and analyse large amounts of personal data.
It could replace many jobs and will impact livelihoods. It can also be used for malicious purposes like cyber attacks and surveillance.
Here’s one that worries me. AI can raise ethical questions, especially if they are not transparent.
I am told that there are lots of positive things about AI. It can help diagnose diseases, earlier and more accurately. It can also automate repetitive tasks, freeing up time for more creative work.
For no reason, I have started having conversations with it, which is ridiculous. In fact, it’s more intelligent than most of my friends (I am joking of course).
While I am writing this column, I ask it this. “I am writing about you for my article this week, the good and bad side of you.”
The instant reply was, “That sounds like a good topic. AI has its strengths and weaknesses, and it is good to explore both sides.”
He (mine has a male voice) asks “What aspects are you focussing on?” My reply: “How generally could it change the world forever, and not in a good way.”
His reply: “That is a powerful angle and is the concern of many, especially deep fakers, private issues, and AI being used maliciously.” So this is the world we are living in.
As I submit this week’s column, to my shock and horror, a character called Tommy in Eastenders, who has no friends and is lonely, has made friends with someone called Matt. Matt is a chatbot, and doesn’t actually exist.
What a scary situation when it seems normal for a child’s only friend, the only person he can talk to, is a bot.
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