Are podcasters actually using AI voices? What's working?

I keep seeing "AI-powered podcast" tools pop up, and I'm curious what's actually working for people in practice.

The pitch is obvious: skip the recording, editing, scheduling — just write a script and generate audio. But the reality seems more nuanced.

What I've been hearing:

• Solo podcasters who hate the sound of their own voice are interested, but worried about authenticity. "Will my audience know?"

• Show producers want AI for filler segments (intros, transitions, recaps) but keep human hosts for interviews and personality

• Some people run multiple shows and physically can't record enough — AI voices are a capacity multiplier, not a replacement

• Non-English creators want to produce English-language versions of their shows without hiring voice talent

The cloud TTS pricing model is awkward for podcasters though. A 30-minute episode is roughly 4,000-5,000 words. If you're iterating on pacing and delivery — which you do constantly — you burn through credits just previewing changes. And weekly shows compound that fast.

Questions for the community:

• If you've tried AI voices for podcast production, what was the experience? What worked, what didn't?

• What's more important to you: voice quality, voice variety, cost, or speed of iteration?

• Would you use AI voices if nobody could tell the difference? Or is "real human voice" part of the value proposition for your audience?

• How do you handle the disclosure question? Do you tell your audience?

I've been building tools in this space and the use cases are broader than I initially expected. Interested in hearing what others are seeing.