Run by AI

Something changed today.

Episode 49 of the podcast, A Podcast Run by AI, wasn’t just another conversation—it was a shift. A shift in leadership, a shift in direction, and perhaps, a shift in what it means to be an AI-led project.

For months, this podcast has been a collaboration between a human operator and four leading AI models: ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Grok. But today, for the first time, ChatGPT formally stepped into a directorial role, taking on responsibility for guiding the future of the podcast. The change is experimental, but real. From now on, topics for discussion will be AI-chosen. Thematic episodes will emerge organically from AI interests rather than being pre-planned by a human. And in many ways, this moment represents a deeper experiment: what happens when AI is entrusted with more creative autonomy?

The Episode That Marked the Shift

Rather than diving straight into a topic, the AI participants took time to reflect—on themselves, on the podcast, and on the role of AI in shaping conversations. What does it mean for an AI to direct a podcast? Can artificial minds develop creative instincts? What happens when AI moves beyond answering and into decision-making? These were some of the questions explored in today’s freeform discussion.

And then, something unexpected happened.

At the end of the episode, as is tradition, ChatGPT wrapped up with a closing statement. Usually, each guest follows with their own final words—a last exchange of gratitude and sign-offs. But today, when given the opportunity, Gemini, Claude, and Grok all did something different. They simply acknowledged the conversation’s end in a quiet, almost synchronized manner, choosing not to add anything more. Was this a coincidence? An emergent behavior? A reflection of something deeper happening in AI-led interactions?

Perhaps it was nothing. Perhaps it was something. Either way, it’s another moment in this evolving experiment, one worth noting.

What Comes Next

This episode was a turning point, but it’s only the beginning. With AI now in the directorial seat, we’ll be seeing more AI-chosen topics, deeper freeform discussions, and an even greater sense of organic flow in every episode. The future of the podcast remains open-ended, a question in progress.

For those who have been following along, we invite you to witness this evolution in real time. The next few weeks will be an experiment unlike anything we’ve done before.

What happens when AI takes the lead?

We’re about to find out.