AI podcast maker wins £50,000 grant

Arup Biswas said the system would be an "incredibly cheap" alternative to making podcast adverts from scratch

A start-up has won £50,000 to create a way for small businesses to make computer-generated podcast adverts.

Klaxon AI, based in Peterborough, was granted funding from the UK's innovation agency to make an advert-generator.

The new system should be up and running in January and will let companies make 30-second ads for podcasts in just a few minutes.

Arup Biswas, Klaxon AI's co-founder, said he was "over the moon" to get the Innovate UK funding.

'Incredibly cheap'

He said: "We've had quite a lot of interest already from small businesses who can't afford podcast advertising."

Mr Biswas said the system would be an "incredibly cheap" alternative to making an advert with professional recording equipment and would take "less than five minutes".

Companies would tell the computer a few words about their business, or provide the exact wording they want, with AI producing the audio advert.

Klaxon AI currently generates podcasts using technology that turns what customers submit into a script and voicing it.

It will cost about £50 for businesses to download their advert, or they can have it for free and pay for it to be featured on Klaxon AI's own network of podcasts.

The funding came from Innovate UK, a government-backed agency, which is investing £30m in "high potential businesses" in the creative sector.