The 29th episode of the Public Matters podcast ‘In the Lobby’ is a first!

This episode is entirely AI-generated. The result? Two pleasant-sounding English speakers cheerfully chatting about lobbying and transparency. It’s a real conversation, with meaningful insights and a preview of the ⁠event⁠ that Public Matters is organizing together with Transparency International on April 8 in The Hague. Long live progress!

But how exactly did we do this?

• We used hashtag#NotebookLM, an AI tool developed by Google. As input, we provided several articles on lobbying and transparency, which formed the basis for generating the first version of the podcast. We then made several adjustments – both in terms of content and tone. Certain passages were rewritten or refined to make the conversation sound more natural and substantively stronger. In total, one colleague spent just 20 minutes on this.

And what do we think about it?

• It’s truly remarkable how easy this process is – and the result is a well-paced, engaging podcast. At the same time, it does raise questions – particularly about the role of human added value. Beyond giving the right prompts to the AI tools, it seems that human critical thinking and the ability to provide strategic context remain essential (for now).
• AI is bound to have a huge impact on our field of public affairs – and that’s something we, as a firm, are actively working on. By embracing AI and applying it wherever relevant, we aim to stay ahead – always putting the needs and interests of our clients first.

Questions about this podcast? Got comments, tips, or suggestions for a topic? Email us at info@publicmatters.nl.