Podimo tests AI chatbot for first-of-its-kind aid to find podcasts

Podimo is trialling the brand-new “Conversational Search” feature in the Danish and German markets until the end of the year.

A select group of subscribers, who already use the search function more than the average user, have been chosen for the trial. With this new feature, it’s possible to have dialogue with a chatbot about podcasts that may be of interest.

Alexa Lion, Senior Product Manager at Podimo says: “At Podimo, our vision is that AI offers new opportunities to improve the browsing experience for our users. They can engage in chit chat, clarify what they mean, ask follow up questions, etc. The conversational mode of browsing is the opportunity space that we wanted to learn more about by shipping the pilot.

“Conversational Search has high potential to meet our users’ desire to express themselves naturally as they search for their new favourite show or audiobook.

“AI is a powerful tool for us to offer an intuitive, conversational mode of browsing for our users, unlike classic search which is keyword-based and constraining.

“Through this feature, we free up our users to articulate what they want to search for rather than how to find it. Thanks to AI and our internal technology, your next podcast is just a short conversation away.”

Podimo believe incorporating artificial intelligence can be a significant asset podcast listeners in the long run. However, the establishment of such capabilities will – through pilots like “Conversational Search” – be phased in progressively to ascertain the most effective solutions in a timely fashion.

“The goal is to learn. We will analyse the pilot’s results and user feedback, and decide how and where to scale from there,” Alexa Lion elaborates.