How Are Top Podcasters Doubling Their Creative Efficiency in the AI Era?

十字路口Crossing·March 21, 2024·0·0

"The future is already here — it's just not evenly distributed."

Hi, I'm Koji, and "Crossing" is my personal newsletter. The name comes from something Steve Jobs once said — standing at the intersection of technology and the humanities.

I'm the co-founder of sleep environment brand Tangdao and content company The Fair. I previously founded the Jiepang app and was part of the early teams at Fanfou and Jumei International Holding Limited.

As a classic cross-domain entrepreneur, I've let curiosity carry me across all kinds of "crossings" — from mobile internet to e-commerce, from content to consumer goods.

Recently, I guested on two friends' podcasts, then invited them back onto Crossing. Altogether, we recorded four episodes.

First, we're launching a new series on the Crossing podcast: [Creators in the AI Era].

In this series, I plan to follow my curiosity in interviewing creator friends — podcasters, stand-up comics, influencers, writers, directors, video creators, and more — exploring how the AI era will reshape their creative work, and more importantly, how it will reshape their lives as ordinary people.

Our first two guests, Liu Fei of "Ban Na Tie" and "San Wu Huan," and Danny of "Da Xiao Ma Liao Ke Ji," are both "top-tier" names in podcasting. Because of their high-quality listeners and substantive content, their per-episode ad rates have already crossed 100,000 RMB — worth more than many Douyin mega-influencers. And considering how an hour of voice can reach people in ways other formats can't, I still see this as undervalued territory for brand marketing.

Crossing chose them as our first two interviews because they've both been extraordinarily prolific, putting out several times more content than most. How have they sustained this output for years? I suspect that beyond raw talent, it's their fluency with productivity tools. As I expected, they've already been actively using AI in their creative process.

"The future is already here — it's just not evenly distributed." In ARK's Big Ideas 2024 report, programmers and white-collar consultants (groups whose productivity is relatively quantifiable) showed significant efficiency gains.

Source: ARK Big Ideas 2024

While content creators' efficiency is harder to quantify, whether it's Liu Fei, Danny, Ronghui, or myself — we all share that feeling of being "tiger-winged" by AI.

Across these two episodes, we shared how AI helps us brainstorm, gather perspectives, organize thinking, create images and videos, and more.

Interestingly, across all four episodes, we independently ended up using AI to generate our cover art or illustrations.

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Crossing

30 Content Pitfalls to Avoid, Why Salary Is the Most Addictive Drug | A Conversation with Liu Fei of Ban Na Tie and San Wu Huan

This episode's guest is Liu Fei, host of "Ban Na Tie" and "San Wu Huan." We guested on each other's shows, recording a four-hour marathon in the Xiaoyuzhou office studio.

First I joined San Wu Huan for two hours on content and brands, then Liu Fei came on Crossing for another two hours.

Liu Fei shared his recent experiences with AI products — how he's using AI to help write his new book Content Is Brand, and to script episodes of "Ban Na Tie."

Beyond AI, we got into what I consider the most valuable takeaway: Liu Fei's compiled list of "30 pitfalls you must avoid in content creation." And something he may never have shared elsewhere — why he left his big-tech job. He believes salary is the most addictive drug.

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Crossing

How to Escape the Algorithm's Web and Live Without Anxiety | A Conversation with Danny of Da Xiao Ma Liao Ke Ji

This episode's guest Danny hosts "Da Xiao Ma Liao Ke Ji." He's also a Bilibili creator with 450,000 followers, a leading voice in tech and electric vehicles.

We invited Danny onto Crossing to discuss how AI helps and challenges creators — especially multi-modal creators like himself who work across video, audio, and text. Danny considers himself "possibly among the last creators to be replaced by AI."

Danny also shared his pandemic-era story of boldly building a business in the Middle East and establishing himself there. He talked about his "Early to Bed, Early to Rise" phone detox project, how he resists the algorithmic nets of Douyin, Xiaohongshu, and other platforms as a content creator, and how he maintains a stable mindset and lives without anxiety.

❸ San Wu Huan

A Conversation with Koji: Becoming an Independent, Energized "Super Saiyan"

This episode features old friend Koji, who was inspired by Bill Gates to restart creating content.

We discussed what a "Super Saiyan" means, and what opportunities exist for super-individuals in this new era. Koji offered a fresh perspective: initiating collective action.