LONG FORM AUDIO

Just might save us all

by Nick Dunkerley

Okay, saying that long-form audio production might save humanity sounds a bit far-fetched.
But bear with me—there’s a method to this madness.

What is long-form audio?
If you’ve ever listened to Radiolab or This American Life, then you already know.
Long-form audio is about telling the best possible stories using narration, interviews, sound design, ambience, and music.
It’s not something you produce overnight—it can take weeks, sometimes months of effort.
But when that story finally reaches a listener, something magical happens.
A connection is made.

But how could this save anyone?
We’re facing a future (and honestly, a present) where 90% of online content might be generated by AI within a few years.
According to experts like Nina Schick, by 2025, most digital content—whether it's text, images, audio, or video—could be AI-generated.
While AI can churn out massive amounts of content, it raises significant questions about authenticity, trustworthiness, and originality.

Governments are already trying to get ahead of this.
The EU’s AI Act proposes regulations, including watermarking AI-generated content so people know when something is machine-made.
But what about audio?
Will we need disclaimers before every AI-produced segment?
Well, it’s already happening.


Google’s NotebookLM can now generate a nine-minute radio segment on any topic, complete with two hosts, banter, and laughter—all AI-generated.
If you haven’t heard it, you should. It’s both amazing and a little unsettling.


Authenticity is at risk.
There’s more at stake than just content quality.
It’s also about the personal connection we have with our media.
We might not think about it consciously, but knowing that there’s a real person behind the mic matters.
Imagine tuning into your local radio station one morning and realizing the host is an AI.
That’s exactly what happened in Kauai, Hawaii.
The local newspaper, The Garden Island, had trouble finding talent, so they turned to an Israeli company, Caledo, to create AI avatars, Morning TV hosts James and Rose.
Reactions were understandably mixed.

So how do we prove that the content we produce is authentic and made by humans?

Maybe we can look for answers in an unlikely place—the Blockchain.

When a Bitcoin transaction happens, it’s critical that the system guarantees its authenticity.
This is done through Proof of Work—a process that requires enormous computing power to validate each transaction.
This ensures the system can’t be tampered with, making it trustworthy.
It’s why you hear that Bitcoin uses as much energy as entire countries like Norway.
Trying to hack that system would require the energy of a nation like Argentina. Doable, but not practical.


Now, think about long-form audio.
Shows like Radiolab or Twenty Thousand Hertz take a huge amount of time, creativity, and resources to produce.
That’s their proof of work. The effort put into these productions is what makes them feel real, authentic, and human.
The listener knows there are real people behind the story, pouring in their time and skill.


So, what’s next?
Instead of asking how AI can make us more productive or efficient, maybe we should consider a different approach.
Maybe we should focus on telling better, more meaningful stories.
Stories that are personal, that stand out because they’re made by people who care.
Stories where effort is the proof of their authenticity.

And maybe, just maybe, this might save us all.