ACADEMIC

PODCASTING
A Guide From
THE GOOD ROBOT PODCAST
Prepared By:
Raphael Hernandes
Kerry McInerney
Eleanor Drage
 The Good Robot | Academic Podcasting Report I

Foreword

W
e are delighted to be bringing you this report on academic podcasting. When
we first started The Good Robot Podcast back in 2021, we never could have
imagined that it would turn into a multi-year project and become a key way
that we disseminate our research on gender, feminism and technology around the world.
One of the most unexpected and joyous aspects of podcasting has been the community
of feminist scholars and activists that we’ve built around us. We’re incredibly grateful to
all of the inspirational feminists who’ve donated their time and expertise to the podcast,
and it’s a privilege to be able to share their work with you. When we first started out, we
sought out advice from successful academic podcasters whose work we admired (and never
thought we’d ever be able to emulate). Now that we’ve been podcasting for several years,
we’re regularly contacted by academics in the arts and humanities who want to enter the
podcasting world, but are a little intimidated by what it entails. That’s why we produced
this report on academic podcasting: to act as a guide and a friend to new podcasters,
reflect on the strengths and limitations of podcasting as an academic medium, and raise
awareness about all the different ways that academics are using podcasting to disseminate
their research to different audiences.
We’d especially like to thank the AHRC Impact Fund, whose funding allowed us to explore
new ways of advertising and disseminating the podcast, and provide the financial support
necessary to produce this report. We’d also like to thank Raphael Hernandes for joining
our small team to write the report. Raphael just graduated as the inaugural Huw Price
Scholar from our MPhil programme in AI Ethics and Society at the Leverhulme Centre for
the Future of Intelligence (LCFI). He was hired primarily to support the Narratives and
Justice programme at LCFI, and with his background in journalism and media has been
indispensable to our work on the impact of AI on journalism, PR, and communications
practices and strategies. His input and support for The Good Robot Podcast has been
invaluable. Our final thanks go out to all of our listeners and readers, from those who’ve
just come across our podcast in recent times to those who supported us from the very
beginning. We are really beyond grateful to do this, and we hope you enjoy the report.

Eleanor and Kerry x

II The Good Robot | Academic Podcasting Report

Contents
1 Introduction 1
1.1 About The Good Robot 1
2 Podcasting in Academia: Key Insights From Previous Research 2
2.1 Benefits and Applications 2
2.1.1 A Growing and Impactful Format 2
2.1.2 The Role of Podcasting in Disseminating Academic Knowledge 3
2.1.3 Podcasting as a Pedagogical Tool 4
2.2 How to Make an Academic Podcast 5
2.3 Challenges 7
2.3.1 Investment 7
2.3.2 Reaching Audiences 8
2.3.3 Balancing Depth and Accessibility 9
2.3.4 The Impact of Podcasting on Other Learning Styles 10
2.3.5 Podcasters’ Vulnerability 11
2.3.6 Incorporating Feminist Practices 12
3 Listener Trends 13
3.1 Countries 14
4 Listener Survey 15
4.1 General Feedback 15
4.2 What is Working 16
4.2.1 What Listeners Enjoy Most 17
4.2.2 Pedagogical Use of The Good Robot Podcast 18
4.3 Steps Forward 19
4.3.1 Topics and Guests 20
4.4 New Modes of Engagement 21
5 Podcasting Lessons from The Good Robot 22
5.1 Continuous Engagement 23
5.2 Improving Distribution 23
6 References 24
7 About the Authors 27
 The Good Robot | Academic Podcasting Report 1

Introduction
Podcasting has emerged as a powerful medium in academia, offering another medium to commu-
nicate research, enabling scholars to engage directly with their audiences, and making academic
knowledge more accessible to a broader public. Unlike traditional scholarly publications, which
can be restricted by paywalls, formal tone, and limited accessibility, podcasts offer a flexible,
engaging, and intimate form of communication that can reach listeners far beyond academic
circles. The ease with which podcasts can be produced and disseminated makes them a valuable
tool for democratizing access to academic content, fostering collaboration, and encouraging
public engagement with critical research.
However, this potential does not mean that every educator should start their own show, or
that this is a whimsical solution for every communication challenge in academia. Podcasting
comes with its own time and resource investment requirements, making it unsuitable for some
academics, and does not replace other forms of engagement with students and the broader
public.
This report focuses on the role of podcasting within academia, specifically examining its poten-
tial to enhance educational practices, create new pathways for scholarly communication, and
contribute to social change. It builds on the experience of producing The Good Robot podcast to
suggest strategies to other scholars willing to engage with this format to reach wider audiences.
In addition to an exploration of the content and themes of academic podcasts, this report
presents insights from the show’s download statistics and a listener survey providing qualitative
feedback from educators and students. These data points help assess the reach, relevance, and
effectiveness of podcasts as educational tools and scholarly outputs. As podcasts continue to
gain legitimacy as scholarly tools, their potential to bridge the gap between academia and the
public grows, offering a more inclusive and dynamic model for the dissemination of knowledge.

About The Good Robot

The Good Robot is a podcast on feminism, gender and technology. It brings the voices of leading
academic experts and technologists and makes their cutting-edge research accessible to the
general public. It asks: what is good technology? Is it even possible? And how can feminism help
us work towards it?
Hosted by Dr Eleanor Drage and Dr Kerry McInerney, The Good Robot was founded in 2021. New
episodes come out every two weeks and they contain interviews with leading experts on feminism
and technology and disseminate publications on feminism, race, gender and AI to wide audiences.
An alternative episode format, called Hot Takes, has the hosts discussing a particular topic of
their research between themselves.
From the podcast, Dr Eleanor Drage and Dr Kerry McInerney co-edited the book "The Good Robot:
Why Technology Needs Feminism", published with Bloomsbury Academic in 2024.

Cite this work. Raphael Hernandes, Kerry McInerney, and Eleanor Drage, "The Good Robot
Podcasting Report," Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, University of Cambridge,
Cambridge, UK, September 2024.
2 The Good Robot | Academic Podcasting Report

Podcasting in Academia: Key Insights From

Previous Research
Benefits and Applications
Scholarly podcasting has gained attention in recent years as a tool for enhancing education and
disseminating academic work, leveraging a format of audio communication that is becoming
increasingly popular around the world [1, p. 162]. Podcasts can have a positive impact by
expanding knowledge beyond the written language and beyond university teaching contexts [1,
pp. 166–167], [2]. With regard to feminist and other social justice-related content, podcast formats
that favour conversations and generate attachment to the hosts can make the content more
relatable and foster reflection among listeners [1, p. 171]. For academia itself, podcasts can also
serve as a pedagogical tool, as we outline further below [1, pp. 165, 171], [3].

A Growing and Impactful Format

Its potential to disseminate academic knowl-

edge can be seen in educators and activists in- Podcasts’ Benefits Summary
creasingly engaging with this medium [1, p. 162].
For example, podcasts are accepted for pub- • Expanding Reach: Disseminate academic
lication in The British Columbian Quarterly, a knowledge beyond classrooms and written
formats.
peer-reviewed journal [4, p. 27], which notes • Relatability and Reflection: Conversational
that this format can reach wider audiences format fosters relatability and deep reflection.
than traditional academic articles [5]. Other • Legitimacy: A medium that is increasingly
academic publications, such as Oxford Aca- recognized by journals, enhancing its role in
demic journals and Nature, also offer their own scholarly communication.
podcasts [6], [7]. This highlights the growing • Inclusivity: Offer a platform for diverse voices.
recognition of podcasts as a legitimate form • Flexibility: Provide creative freedom in format
and content.
of scholarly communication. • Personal Connection: Intimate nature
strengthens connections between speakers
One of the significant benefits of academic pod- and listeners.
casting is its potential to diversify the voices • Open-Access: Remove barriers to academic
and perspectives shared within academia. Tra- content, making complex topics more accessi-
ditional academic platforms, such as journals ble.
and conferences, may limit the representation • Community Learning: Serve as entry points
for social issues and foster community-based
of minorities due to various structural con- learning.
straints, including paywalls, jargon, and famil- • Pedagogical Tool: Can support teaching as a
iarity with academic writing. In contrast, pod- supplementary or creative tool.
casts can serve as an inclusive medium, al-
lowing scholars from diverse backgrounds —
including women and gender minorities — to participate in and contribute to scholarly discourse.
This inclusivity comes from podcasting being able to challenge the spatial and temporal limi-
tations of traditional academic formats. In contrast to the centralized nature of a conference
happening in a specific venue, a podcast can be recorded from multiple locations and then
distributed globally, helping scholars overcome some of the geographical and visa-related chal-
lenges that affect their ability to take part in international conferences and other scholarly events.
It can also help female scholars circumnavigate certain tensions that arise from speaking at
academic conferences, such as performance anxiety, emotional labour, and caring responsibilities,
which might limit the access to such environments. While not fixing the underlying issues, this
 The Good Robot | Academic Podcasting Report 3

ability to at least go around them can make podcasts a useful alternative [8, p. 7], [2, p. 285], [9,
p. 213].
The flexibility of podcast formats also contributes to their appeal in scholarly contexts. Unlike
traditional academic publishing, which often imposes strict limits on content length and style,
podcasts are not bound by such constraints. This freedom allows for the exploration of various
formats—such as solo monologues, co-hosted conversations, and non-fiction storytelling — each
of which can be tailored to suit the specific needs of different academic disciplines [4, p. 13],
[8, p. 7]. This adaptability enables scholars to choose the format that best fits their production
context (e.g., how much time they have to invest), content, and audience, thereby enhancing the
effectiveness of their communication [10, p. 58]. They also offer a venue for communicating with
audiences directly, without a gatekeeper, such as a journal editor [11, pp. 88–89].

Fostering reflection. The conversational nature of podcasts fosters a sense of intimacy and
relatability often absent in other academic media. The presence of the human voice in podcasts
can create a more personal connection with listeners, making the content more engaging and
impactful [1, p. 15]. An example of this usage is provided by Richardson and Green [2]: "whereas
monographs, journals, and other traditional textual scholarship employ the quotation, the podcast
is able to utilize the sound bite, embedding clips from original radio broadcasts, television
interviews, and related media. As we select choice quotes to build our argument, this process
allows scholars to sift out important recordings for the listener’s benefit. This is vital, as hearing
the voice of Virginia Woolf talking about craftsmanship on the BBC or listening to H.D. reading
from Helen in Egypt (1961) affects an aural response and realizes these women as embodied
figures."
In some cases, podcasting can even be reimagined as a medium for scholarly communication
itself rather than merely a tool for discussing pre-existing academic work [12, p. 518]. In that
spirit, podcasters report the medium’s function in sensemaking through conversation, which can
improve their thinking or as a stepping stone in a larger process, such as publishing an episode
about a topic while working towards a paper. It can serve, for example, as the first arena to debate
ideas that end up later summarized in a book chapter or journal article [11, pp. 115–122].

The Role of Podcasting in Disseminating Academic Knowledge

Podcasting has increasingly been recognized as a valuable tool for disseminating academic
knowledge. As the medium grows, educators and activists have started to explore its potential
for reaching and engaging different kinds of audiences [1, p. 6]. Being conversational makes
it a natural way for people to engage with content. Unlike traditional academic publications,
podcasts allow for a more personal connection between the speaker and the listener, which can
be instrumental in building communities of learning and practice [8, p. 8].
Podcasting’s open-access nature can help remove barriers to scientific and scholarly knowledge.
This accessibility helps make complex academic subjects more digestible and relatable to a
broader audience. Thus, podcasts can play a role in breaking down the exclusivity of academic
discourse, making it more approachable and humanized [8, p. 7]. At the same time, the authority
that comes from expertise in their fields might help differentiate the quality of content in the
podcasts created by academics from those produced by people who are not domain experts [13,
p. 178].
Hence, podcasts can serve as valuable entry points for discussing important social issues. For
example, they can introduce topics like gender equality to new audiences, providing a starting
point for individuals or groups to explore these issues further. This informal and accessible
format can be particularly useful for community-based learning and discussion, where podcasts
can serve as a basis for collective exploration and dialogue [1, p. 15]. Podcasts have been shown
4 The Good Robot | Academic Podcasting Report

to be particularly effective in fields where scholars are interested in engaging learners and the
public in intimate and creative ways. In disciplines ranging from Peace and Conflict Studies to
Gender and Critical Race Studies, podcasting has been used as a tool to amplify marginalized
voices and build communities of resistance [1, p. 11].

Podcasting as a Pedagogical Tool

Podcasting has significant potential as a pedagogical tool, offering various ways to enhance
teaching and learning when used effectively. Student acceptance of podcasts as an asynchronous
learning format can be seen in studies about their usage in teaching multiple subjects, as noted
in a literature review by Jerez, Sarmiento, and Salazar [14].
The use of podcasts in education can be divided into three broad categories: substitutional,
supplementary, and creative [3, p. 317]:

• Substitutional is the most basic level and involves replacing traditional lectures with record-
ings in podcast format, allowing students to access the content at their convenience. While
this approach can help students who miss classes or need to review material (especially
useful for nonnative speakers), there is a risk of reinforcing passive learning if not carefully
managed [3, p. 317], [15, p. 1066].

• Supplementary podcasting involves using podcasts to provide students with additional

learning materials. This can include explanations of complex topics, interviews with ex-
perts, or discussions that delve deeper into course content. This approach can enrich the
learning experience by providing multiple perspectives and making challenging material
more accessible [1, pp. 9, 15], [3, p. 317], [16], [15, p. 1066].

• Creative podcasting has the students create the audio shows themselves as a way to
engage with what is taught. In order to construct knowledge rather than simply receive it,
students need to develop a deep understanding of the subject explored in their podcasts [3,
p. 317]. There is evidence that creative podcasting can help learning, relating to better
understanding and retention [17, p. 142]. However, as discussed in the section “The Impact
of Podcasting on Other Learning Styles”, this improvement might come from how learners
are engaging with coursework rather than the technology itself.
 The Good Robot | Academic Podcasting Report 5

Sinjin Li

This artwork was inspired by the excerpt "You have to make the first move, and ask, ’Can I come visit you in your lab?’ Once you’re
there, you can begin to pose questions. . . possibly intervening at the point where designs are still being forged and thought through,"
from N. Katherine Hayles’s essay in "The Good Robot" book. Accessibility caption: Illustration of a face peacefully resting among large
mushrooms that surround it, blending with their shapes.

How to Make an Academic Podcast

Starting a podcast comes with a few considerations regarding format and style, as well as some
equipment needs. Copeland and McGregor [4] have created a useful guide for academics who
want to get into the podcasting space. It’s important to first identify where a gap exists in the
academic podcasting landscape. Understanding this gap can help ensure that the podcast fills a
unique space and serves a specific need within its target audience. Once this gap is established,
selecting the podcast’s format and style is crucial as it sets the tone and direction for the entire
project. Decisions include whether the show will focus on fiction or nonfiction, and whether it will
consist of interviews, narrative storytelling, or roundtable discussions. It may also be formed
by repurposed content (e.g., giving a new life to archived interviews). The style and feel should
not only align with the personality of the host and the team’s expertise, but also resonate with
the identified gap and cater to the target audience’s needs and interests. For those uncertain
about the format, conducting test recordings or pilot episodes can be beneficial [4, pp. 4–6], [13,
pp. 178–180]. Carefully listening to other podcasts while taking notes of what is happening and
for how long it is happening can be a helpful exercise in those decisions [11, p. 132].
6 The Good Robot | Academic Podcasting Report

Planning involves outlining the specific content, determining the number of episodes, and setting
a release schedule. It also includes creating a budget and scheduling tasks associated with
podcast production, which helps balance podcasting with other academic responsibilities [4,
pp. 7–11]. When thinking of structure, Cook [11, p. 134] notes these are the elements a show might
include:

• Narration: Scripted or freestyle talking of the host. It can include context for the audience
or be used for engagement.

• Interview: With guest or guests; can be in the studio or on the field.

• Group Discussion: Different dynamic from interviews, often led by the host.

• Readings: An actor or the host reading materials such as book excerpts or letters.

• Sound: Ambient sound, sonic phenomena, etc.

• Music: Songs or instrumental pieces relating to the topic (not background music).

In terms of equipment, the guide suggests starting with basic yet essential tools such as a good-
quality microphone and a portable recorder. These are critical for capturing high-quality audio,
which is the backbone of any podcast. For those on a limited budget, it recommends exploring
public and university libraries, which might offer podcasting studios or equipment rentals. As the
podcast grows, upgrading to more advanced equipment like broadcast-quality microphones or
field recording tools can enhance the production quality [4, pp. 12–16]. Furthermore, the guide
stresses the importance of mastering the technology involved in podcasting, including the use of
digital audio workstations (DAWs) software for editing. For beginners, free options like Audacity
are suggested, while more experienced users might consider investing in professional tools like
Adobe Audition or Hindenburg [4, pp. 19–21]. This editing and post-production step could include
the usage of music and sound effects, which do not need to be costly as royalty-free options are
available [13, p. 181]
Other aspects to consider are the podcast’s visual design used in the cover art and branding for
social media [4, pp. 22–24]. Promotion through social media is an important aspect of building
a community around the podcast and reaching the desired audience, which is discussed in the
section “Reaching Audiences”.
Shows are published through specialized hosting services that manage the podcast’s RSS feed1
and distribute it to platforms like Apple Podcasts and Spotify, the two most popular services
among listeners [18], [4, p. 25]. The guide also addresses the importance of preserving podcasts for
the future. Proper archiving, including storing high-quality audio files, transcripts, and metadata,
ensures that shows remain accessible and discoverable over time. This can be achieved by
submitting the podcast to institutional repositories, which can provide a stable URL or DOI,
enhancing its academic credibility and visibility [4, pp. 32–34].

1 An online page which includes the podcast episodes’ audio files and descriptions to distribute them to the apps
listeners use to access shows.
 The Good Robot | Academic Podcasting Report 7

Challenges
While podcasting offers exciting opportunities for academia, it also comes with significant chal-
lenges. Producing a podcast requires time, financial resources, and technical skills to ensure
consistent quality. Academic podcasters must also strike a balance between making content
accessible to a broad audience and maintaining scholarly rigour. Reaching and engaging listeners,
especially in niche or sensitive areas, can be difficult. Additionally, issues of inclusivity — such as
language barriers and accessibility — must be addressed. Finally, public-facing content exposes
podcasters to personal and professional risks, including online harassment. This section explores
these key challenges and strategies to overcome them.

Investment

The actual investment required for creating

a podcast might vary based on its creators’ Podcasts’ Challenges Summary
decisions in terms of format and equipment
(section “How to Make an Academic Podcast”). • Investment: Requires time, financial re-
However, some degree of time and financial sources, and specific equipment for high-
quality audio. Balancing consistency with lim-
resources will always be necessary [1, p. 17]. ited resources is hard.
Ensuring high-quality audio output is particu- • Reaching Audiences: Competing for attention
larly crucial for a professional feel, as audio against other media can be difficult, particu-
content is less forgiving of technical flaws com- larly for niche or sensitive topics.
pared to other media forms. Making it sound • Balancing Depth and Accessibility: Making
good will require specific equipment and soft- complex academic topics understandable
without oversimplifying.
ware and learning how to work with them [13,
• Exclusion Risks: Format can exclude non-
p. 181], [1, p. 18]. English speakers, those without reliable in-
ternet access, and the deaf community.
The time commitment involved in producing
• Impact on Learning Styles: Ensuring audio is
a podcast is substantial. Setting up and main- not used to replace traditional teaching for-
taining a podcast requires the regular record- mats to maintain student engagement and
ing, editing, and releasing of episodes. Since learning quality.
it is key to ensure a regular output of content • Vulnerability: Podcasters face personal and
with a regular host while also keeping consis- professional vulnerability, including potential
identity-based harassment.
tency of style and structure, it may be particu-
• Institutional Support: Lack of financial incen-
larly challenging for small teams or individuals
tives and institutional recognition limits aca-
who may already have other significant commit- demic podcasting.
ments [13, pp. 179–181]. This time investment is
necessary not only to produce content but also
to ensure its quality. It must be engaging, informative, and concise enough to maintain listeners’
interest without being overly lengthy. Striking a balance between regularity and high quality is a
constant challenge for podcasters, particularly those operating with limited resources [1, p. 18].
The format and style of a podcast can significantly affect the amount of time and effort required
to produce it. For instance, interview-based podcasts may require substantial time for guest
coordination and editing, while narrative storytelling podcasts may involve intensive scriptwriting
and production work. Therefore, scholars need to carefully consider the time they can realistically
commit to a podcast project [8, p. 7].
These challenges might be topped by the lack of financial incentives in the area, especially for
those dealing with niche subjects, such as religious studies, as noted by Altman [12, p. 582].
Finding financial support from listeners can be hard for small podcasts, with endeavours such as
applying for grants or crowdsourcing funds also demanding scholars’ time [8, p. 7].
8 The Good Robot | Academic Podcasting Report

Thus, for academic podcasting to grow and establish itself as a recognized form of scholarly
output, there is a need for more formalized support from academic institutions. This could involve
institutions using their communication channels to promote their scholars’ podcasts, providing
resources and infrastructure for podcast production, and recognizing podcasts as legitimate
academic contributions. Such institutional support could help overcome some of the resource
and time constraints that individual scholars face when creating podcasts [8, p. 8].

Reaching Audiences

A podcast’s impact hinges on people listening to it, especially if its goal is to engage with audiences
beyond the scholarly world. In that arena, any show is competing for users’ attention against a
wide pool of content — other podcasts, but also other media, such as TV and streaming. This can
be more problematic for content addressing sensitive or challenging topics, such as profeminist
podcasts, that need to overcome some level of listener resistance, such as men who are reluctant
to engage with discussions on gender equality [1, p. 17].
This limitation means that people choosing to listen to this kind of content are likely supportive of
gender quality in a "preaching to the converted" situation, and comes with the risk of contributing
to polarization as audiences are only listening to ideas they already agree with. An alternative
might be to present these topics within wider series that include other subjects, and use that as
an entry point for the discussion [1, pp. 16–17].
Given how crucial reaching and engaging audiences is to academic podcasting, careful considera-
tion of who the intended listeners are and how to best communicate with them is needed. A key
initial step is identifying the target audience for the podcast. Scholars must ask themselves who
they want to communicate their research to and what these listeners might be interested in. This
audience-centred approach helps in tailoring the content to meet the needs and expectations of
the listeners, thereby increasing the podcast’s relevance and impact [13, p. 177].
Then, other strategies might help grow and captivate these audiences. Consistency and regularity
are fundamental. Episodes should be released at regular intervals, following a particular style
and structure and having a host with whom listeners can familiarize themselves [13, pp. 179–180].
Numbers may take a while to build up. Cook [11, p. 183] interviewed 101 podcasting academics for
his book, ’Scholarly Podcasting: Why, What, How?’, and notes that most reported having between
200 and 700 downloads per episode. While some shows get to the tens of thousands, in another
text, the author notes that a few hundred listeners are more than most conference keynotes
would get [19].

Promotion, Audience Engagement and Fostering Communities. One criticism of the podcast
format is that it can be a pedestal for the hosts. Fostering a community around it is a counter
to that, leveraging the format’s potential for audience participation. This might mean creating
virtual communities around relevant topics [1, p. 15].
A critical aspect of building and sustaining an audience for an academic podcast is leveraging
social media. Platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram are helpful to engage with listeners
and establish a loyal base. However, given the vast number of social media platforms available,
podcasters might find it more effective to focus their efforts on one or two platforms that align best
with their target audience. Consistency in posting, such as sharing new episodes, announcements,
or related content, is vital to maintaining interest [4, p. 38]. However, simply posting new episode
alerts might not be enough to engage with the audience. Podcasters must think about creating a
community through social media and maintaining conversations with listeners [11, p. 183].
Other practices from the podcasting world can be handy. Creating a trailer is an effective promo-
 The Good Robot | Academic Podcasting Report 9

tional strategy. Additionally, cross-promotion with other podcasts can be valuable in expanding
the reach of a show by tapping into existing audiences [4, pp. 37–38]. One step further might be
to join a podcast network to seek support [8, p. 8].
The Good Robot

The Good Robot logo. Accessibility caption: Dr Eleanor Drage and Dr Kerry McInerney’s faces appear in the background, overlaid with
a starry, cosmic theme. The podcast’s name is centred in the image, written in white with a purple outline.

Balancing Depth and Accessibility

An important challenge for podcasts, particularly those dealing with complex subjects (such
as scientific content), is to strike the right balance between providing in-depth, high-quality
information and ensuring that it is accessible to a broad audience [1, p. 18]. There is demand
for such content, which has been met by poor yet accessible "pop science" shows [20, p. 276].
10 The Good Robot | Academic Podcasting Report

Striking the right balance between the quality of content and its accessibility means serving this
audience with better information.
Scholars who are experts in their fields will possess the knowledge to produce quality shows [13,
p. 178]. Academic communication, however, is not always done in a way that is palatable to most
audiences. In the medical field, for instance, articles published in the last century increasingly
included jargon and decreased in readability [20, p. 276]. Thus comes the challenge of balancing
that expertise and disseminating content in a way people understand.
Here, choices of format might play a role. Interviews with experts, for example, might provide
high-quality and detailed information, but the use of jargon might limit potential audiences
for requiring some previous knowledge for understanding. A counter to that might be offering
analogies and explanations [20, p. 277]. Exploring multiple modes appears as an alternative to
appeal to different audience needs. Besides interviews and panels, their most popular format,
Yankura Swacha and Heim [21] report a successful engagement with shorter synopsis episodes
with the main point of longer academic articles [21, p. 227]. However, it varies with content and
audience. A similar approach did not provide good results for Marty Martin, co-host of the ’Big
Biology Podcast’, who describes producing two versions (short and long) of their first ten episodes
to try to appeal to a broader public. Despite the efforts in creating a distilled-down version of
each episode, the download statistics showed an overall preference for the long-form [19].

Addressing Exclusion. Despite the potential of podcasts to democratize access to academic

content, there are significant concerns about who may be excluded from this digital medium.
Podcasts are predominantly recorded in English, which can alienate non-English speakers. They
also require reliable internet access, which is not always the case. Additionally, many podcasts
lack written transcripts, making them inaccessible to members of the deaf community [1, p. 11],
[2], [22].
To mitigate these exclusions, podcast creators must consider incorporating practices that en-
hance accessibility. Examples include providing transcripts, ensuring clear audio, and describing
imagery [21, p. 227].

The Impact of Podcasting on Other Learning Styles

Scholarly podcasting poses challenges in relation to its impact on traditional learning styles.
The shift toward podcasting and other net-based learning formats introduces new dynamics
into the educational process. On one hand, these technologies can enhance learning by making
content more accessible and allowing students to review material at their own pace. On the other
hand, they may discourage traditional learning methods that require real-time interaction and
attendance. Rather than conducting a synchronized reading of a text, educators may explore
different uses of the time shared with students during lectures to better integrate this technology
in teaching [15, p. 1066].
The availability of video podcasts, for instance, has been associated with a decline in student
attendance at traditional lectures. This trend suggests that some students may prefer the conve-
nience of on-demand video content over attending in-person classes, potentially undermining
the value of synchronized, face-to-face learning experiences. However, it is important to note
that not all students share this preference; some still favor the traditional lecture format despite
the availability of video podcasts [23].

Complement, not replace. Though evidence of the use of podcasts in education assisting
student performance is still weak, its potential for enhancing learning is well documented. Using
the tool rationally as a supplement to studies appears as a means to harness this medium’s
 The Good Robot | Academic Podcasting Report 11

benefits [17], [1, p. 9], [15].

When integrating podcasting into educational settings, it is important to consider how students
will use this material. A frequent word of caution is to use podcasts to complement learning
rather than replace existing methods, as they might diminish the learning experience if seen as
the primary source of material for students. Educators should provide policies and guidance on
how to best use podcasts for study to ensure that these resources are properly integrated into
the broader learning experience [3, p. 319].
Podcasts can enhance learning by providing additional resources, enabling flexible access to
content, and encouraging student engagement through content creation. The benefits of pod-
casting, however, in education might stem from how the technology is used rather than from the
technology itself. For example, repeated listening to podcasted lectures can aid in comprehension,
and student-created podcasts can foster deeper understanding as communicating information
increases retention [15, p. 1066]. The same idea applies to its role in promoting social change,
with authors like McInerney and Burrell [1] warning against exaggerating its transformative effects
and having the medium as a supplement rather than an engine [1, p. 21].

Podcasters’ Vulnerability

Podcasters are exposed to significant personal and professional vulnerabilities. The public nature
of podcasting means that creators must navigate how their voices and ideas are perceived by a
broad audience, often beyond the traditional academic circles. This exposure can bring about
unique challenges, particularly for those who are already navigating the pressures of academic
norms and expectations. Podcast creators report a personal challenge of resisting the social
norms associated with voice in the academy. For some, podcasting becomes a form of resistance
against the conventional academic voice—often steeped in jargon and gatekeeping—that can
alienate broader audiences. However, this resistance is not without its difficulties. Podcasters
may struggle with their own insecurities about how they are perceived, both within the academic
community and by the public [24, pp. 1, 3].
The competitive nature of academia often drives scholars to be more protective of their work,
prioritizing clear authorship and guarding their findings to prevent them from being ’scooped’
or undermined by destructive feedback, in contrast to the open and collaborative nature of
podcasting. While it can be challenging to deal with the intimacy that podcasts bring, this
vulnerability can be leveraged in knowledge creation and when engaging with the audience
by creating a circle of trust with the listeners. Still, its less structured way of engaging with
information (as opposed to writing an article once you have all the findings, for example), can be
troublesome for some academics [11, pp. 12–14].
Moreover, scholarly podcasters, much like influencers and content creators, are vulnerable
to identity-based harassment. Research from Cornell University highlights how the personal
nature of online content can lead to targeted harassment, which is often deeply harmful both
psychologically and professionally [25]. This type of harassment is not confined to celebrities;
it also affects activists, journalists, and academics. It includes tactics such as doxxing2 and
coordinated harassment campaigns, which can severely impact the safety and well-being of
those targeted [26]. Digital sanitization and online safety techniques can help mitigate those
attacks. These include technical solutions, such as setting up multi-factor authentication3 , using
password managers to create strong passwords for accounts, and limiting messages on social
media [26, p. 207]. Doing the reverse process of doxxing oneself, i.e., scrubbing the internet to find
2 Publishing private, potentially sensitive information about someone. These can include address and contact
details in a compendium of data posted to a single place, like an online forum, to expose the victim [26], [27].
3 An authentication method that requires the user to provide two or more verification factors, like a password and
a token sent via SMS, to gain access to an account.
12 The Good Robot | Academic Podcasting Report

information about themselves mimicking what an attacker could do4 , and using that to remove
sensitive information that is available online is also recommended [26, p. 207].

Incorporating Feminist Practices

Incorporating feminist practices into academic podcasting goes beyond simply labelling a show
as "feminist" or "profeminist." To genuinely reflect feminist values, these principles must be
embedded in all aspects of the podcast’s production and dissemination, which includes not
only the content but also the structural and operational aspects of how the podcast is created
and managed. Operationally, embedding feminist values into a podcast involves thoughtful
consideration of who is involved in the creation and hosting of the podcast. This means not
only including women and other marginalized voices as guests but also ensuring that they have
significant roles in the production, decision-making, and direction of the podcast [1, pp. 19–20].

4 See The New York Times’s ’A Guide to Doxxing Yourself on the Internet’
 The Good Robot | Academic Podcasting Report 13

Listener Trends
Overall, The Good Robot’s monthly episode downloads5 have increased since launch and show a
trend of growth (Figure 1). The data, obtained from Buzzsprout6 , includes all podcasting platforms
— which excludes YouTube, where video versions of the episodes get hundreds of additional plays.

The Good Robot Downloads

(Monthly, Relative to Total)
5
4
Downloads (%)

3
2
1
2
1

-23
-21

-23

4
r-2
v-2

p-2

c-2

y-2
Feb
Jun

Jul
Ap

De
No

Ma
Se

Figure 1: Podcast downloads over time show an overall growth in monthly downloads.

These monthly downloads include both

newly released episodes and older ones. The Good Robot Downloads
The latter has a significant impact on (New Episodes Avg., Relative to Total)
overall listenership. In June 2024, the
Avg. Downloads (%)

audience peak, 57.5% of the downloads

came from episodes released previ- 4
ously, and the rest came from the two
episodes released in that month. The
3
same phenomenon is seen in previ-
ous months as well. Besides, the av-
2
erage number of monthly downloads
when taking into account the number
Se 2
1

-23
-21

De 3
Ma 3
4
r-2
v-2

p-2

-2
c-2
y-2
Feb
Jun

Jul

of episodes released in each period

Ap
No

shows a less clear pattern of growth (Fig-

ure 2). Episodes released in 2024 per-
Figure 2: Podcast average downloads per episode show a
formed better on average than in previ- modest increase over time.
ous years.
Still, speaking to the importance of regularity, releasing new episodes has a significant impact
on the audience for two reasons. The first is that content gets more plays when it is fresh. The
numbers are bigger during the first few days after an episode is released, following a pattern that
has a peak in the beginning and slowly diminishes over time, and that adds up to a significant
share of monthly downloads.

5 A basic metric when discussing podcasts audience. Means that a user saved the episode to their device, but not
necessarily that it was listened.
6 RSS service The Good Robot uses to distribute its episodes.
14 The Good Robot | Academic Podcasting Report

Also, recent months with fewer episodes also had smaller audience numbers, including fewer
downloads of older episodes. For example, in July 2024, when only one episode was released due
to the podcast going on a break, the downloads of older content were less than half of those
from the previous month (which had two new episodes). In August 2024, when no episodes were
released, the level remained low. An explanation for that is the release of new content also drives
audience to older episodes. The available data does not allow to determine the most relevant
factor, but this might be explained by the fact that new episodes are promoted more frequently
(on social media or by appearing first on podcast platforms), which might make the podcast
known to new listeners or act as a reminder to existing ones.

Countries
The country with the highest number
of downloads is the United Kingdom The Good Robot Plays
(UK), where the podcast hosts are based. (Apple Podcasts, UK and US)
Overall, around 32% come from the UK,
followed by the United States (20%) and 60 UK
Germany (7%). However, that pattern is
US
slowly changing as The Good Robot be- 50
comes more popular in the US. In the
40
Plays (%)

last 5 episodes, as of September 4th,

2024, 29% of downloads came from the
UK and 27% from the US. 30
Data from Apple Podcasts, the most pop- 20
ular platform for The Good Robot listen-
ers (about 35% listen through the app), 10
provides additional insight (figure 3). It
shows that audience from the US grew
No 1
Ap 1
Se 2

3
Fe 2

De 3
Ma 3
4
-2
v-2
r-2
p-2
b-2
-2
c-2
after January 2024. [Explain about con- y-2
Jun

Jul

sultancy].
Yet, the data shows a gap in the distri- Figure 3: The percentage of monthly plays by users in the UK
bution of content, which is still concen- and in the US, according to Apple Podcasts data, shows an
trated around Europe (62%) and North increase in US listenership in 2024.
America (25%). Language barriers might
be an issue, as The Good Robot is in English, and these numbers reflect the challenge of accessibil-
ity faced by podcasters (section “Addressing Exclusion”). Asia (5%), Oceania (4%), South America
(1%), and Africa (1%) account for a small share of the audience.
 The Good Robot | Academic Podcasting Report 15

Listener Survey
The Good Robot team conducted a survey to gather feedback and insights directly from listeners.
It was distributed through various channels, including social media, newsletters, and the podcast
episodes. It received a total of 30 responses.
The survey included questions related to listeners’ preferences, satisfaction, how they engage
with the podcasts, and suggestions for improvement. All of them had a positive overview of the
podcast informational output7 , rating it either 4 or 5 out of 5. The same goes for the likelihood of
recommending the show8 , with all answers being 4 or 5 out of 5.

Demographics. Listeners identified themselves as coming from multiple countries and cities,
providing different global perspectives in the survey. In terms of gender, most (19) identified as
female, 6 as male, 3 as non-binary, 1 as gender-fluid and 1 did not identify.
The age profile concentrated around the 25-34 age group, with 16 respondents, followed by 11 in
the 35-44 group, 2 in the 18-24 group, 1 in the 55-64 group.
Half of the respondents reported following The Good Robot on social media, besides their podcast
apps or YouTube.

General Feedback
The general comments section9 reflected a strong appreciation for the podcast’s content and the
efforts of its hosts. Many respondents expressed gratitude, highlighting the informative nature of
the discussions and their personal enjoyment of the episodes.
This relationship speaks to the feeling of attachment to hosts, the conversational aspect of
podcasting, and the connections academics are able to create with listeners directly through their
podcasts discussed in section “Podcasting in Academia: Key Insights From Previous Research”.

"I see technology as an integral part of access [to

abortion and healthcare] as we move forward and I have
been so grateful for the people you’ve had on your show
as they have opened up more resources for the work I am
doing. Thank you."

The next section will discuss the value the podcast adds to listeners and its role in pedagogical
settings. It will be followed by another section presenting suggestions for improvements made
by the listeners, which contain insights that other scholarly podcasters might find useful.

7 Question: From 1-5 (1 = least, 5 = most), how informative have you found The Good Robot podcast on the intersection
of feminism and technology?
8 Question: From 1-5 (1 = very unlikely, 5 = very likely), how likely are you to recommend The Good Robot podcast to
a colleague?
9 Question: Is there anything else you would like to share?
16 The Good Robot | Academic Podcasting Report

Sinjin Li

This artwork was inspired by the phrase "Imagine a future beyond escape or dystopia" from Hannah Holtzclaw and Wendy Hui Kyong
Chun’s essay in "The Good Robot" book. Accessibility caption: Illustration of a creature with leaves growing from its body emerging
from water, surrounded by aquatic plants.

What is Working
Based on the feedback about what listeners enjoy most10 and their favourite episodes11 , the
following key strengths of The Good Robot podcast emerge:

• Diverse Perspectives: The variety of guests and the inclusion of feminist, non-Western, and
critical viewpoints.

• In-Depth Analysis: The thorough exploration of complex topics.

• Challenging Norms: Episodes that challenge mainstream narratives, particularly around

surveillance, AI, and geopolitics, leave a lasting impact.
10 Question: What do you enjoy most about the podcast?
11 Question: What’s your favourite episode(s) of our show? Why do you like it?
 The Good Robot | Academic Podcasting Report 17

What Listeners Enjoy Most

Respondents shared recurring themes about what they appreciate most about the podcast. Some
emphasised the variety of guests and perspectives, as well as the critical approach to discussing
technology, which are some of the podcast’s pillars. These were highlighted by multiple listeners.
For example, one listener said, "The critical approach to AI, the hosts, the feminist perspective."
The feminist take, which is at the heart of the podcast, comes up many times. Listeners mention
enjoying episodes with high-profile feminists.
Others highlighted how the podcast helps them stay updated with new research and ideas in the
field, which can also be tied to listeners enjoying the breadth of topics (including some that might
seem unrelated to technology at first, like needlework). This feedback suggests that respondents
appreciate both the intellectual depth of the discussions and the diversity of voices featured
on the show. The emphasis on critical thinking, particularly from feminist and non-mainstream
perspectives, is also a key strength:

"Discovering new research, learning new ways of seeing

the technological evolution from a feminist perspective."

One respondent also noted the importance of having transcripts available, which shows that
the strategy has an effect in increasing accessibility. This person mentions reading the podcast
instead of listening to it due to not knowing English very well.
The conversational and less formal tone also makes an impact, with listeners noting that this
characteristic makes the podcast engaging and fun and that it is easy to understand. Also, the
Hot Takes format, in which the two hosts discuss a particular topic — often related to their own
research — between themselves, has come up multiple times as a fan favourite. One highlighted
its potential role in filling gaps where there is a lack of people to discuss these subjects:

"I really appreciate the addition of ’Hot Takes’. I imagine

especially if I couldn’t discuss some of these issues at
work, I’d appreciate listening to your conversations."

Favourite Episodes. Listeners’ favourite episodes provide insight into the kind of content that
resonates with them. Episodes that delve into underexplored or politically charged topics, such as
surveillance in Palestine and in China and militarised applications of technology, appear multiple
times.
One pattern that emerges from the responses is that listeners might enjoy the episodes for
the guest or for having a topic that either provides less explored information or perspective
(e.g., discussing Buddhist ethics for a Western audience) or that includes discussions on real-life
impacts (e.g. large language models).

"The episode with Pedro Oliviera [...] made me think

about how many access technologies (voice recognition)
can be repurposed for militarised ends. Touching on the
ways that tech can operate across social justices and
injustices is exciting."
18 The Good Robot | Academic Podcasting Report

Pedagogical Use of The Good Robot Podcast

The survey examined how students and educators might use The Good Robot as a resource in
academic settings. The feedback shows that the podcast is used in different settings and levels,
highlighting its potential as an educational tool.

Use by Educators. Fourteen respondents identified themselves as educators, teachers, or

professors. Half of them report12 using the podcast in their teaching or knowing someone who
does, a clear recognition of its value as a pedagogical resource. These educators include different
levels of educational settings: schools, undergraduates, and postgraduates.
One of the respondents reported having an episode listed in the recommended reading list.
Others mention using episodes as starting points for class discussions on the intersectionality of
technology, ethics, and society.

Use by Students. Ten respondents reported being students, seven of whom mentioned using
The Good Robot in their classes. These uses include it being part of coursework or as a complement
to the existing syllabus.
The podcast is also referenced by students13 . In that setting, the podcast can serve as a discovery
tool for information, serving as both a direct and indirect reference in academic work.

"[I] used many [episodes] as preparation, stimulation,

and context for my course (AI Ethics)."

12 Question: What age group do you teach, and what episode did you use in your class? Do tell us which school it is
taught at if you are happy to share that!
13 Question: Have you listened to or referenced The Good Robot in any of your classes? Which episodes?
 The Good Robot | Academic Podcasting Report 19

Sinjin Li

This artwork was inspired by the phrase "Our obsession with intelligence as an individual property residing in a single brain" from
Blaise Agüera y Arcas’s essay in "The Good Robot" book. Accessibility caption: Illustration of a contemplative figure inside a brain.

Steps Forward
The survey directly asked listeners for suggestions of topics and guests they would like to hear14 ,
and for suggestions on how to reach more people15 . The following key themes emerged from the
responses:

• Ethics of AI in practice: Many listeners are keen to hear more discussions on the ethical
implications of AI with practical implications and empirical cases, such as in sectors like
healthcare or applications like surveillance.

• Diversity and Expert Guests: Several listeners highlighted the importance of including
non-Western perspectives and diverse voices to enrich the conversations. Suggestions for
specific experts indicate listeners want even more interdisciplinary voices and high-profile
names in their fields.
14 Question: Any specific topics or guests you’d like to hear on The Good Robot?
15 Question: How do you think The Good Robot podcast could reach a wider audience?
20 The Good Robot | Academic Podcasting Report

• Increased Social Media Presence: Listeners called for an expanded social media presence
with frequent engagement, especially on visual platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and
YouTube.

• Outreach: Listeners suggested leveraging collaborations with influencers and other content
creators to increase visibility and engage directly with stakeholders who might be interested
in the podcast, such as universities and local authorities.

These suggestions will be further explored in the following sections, starting with the topics and
guests listeners would like to hear more. Later, their ideas for how to increase the podcast’s
reach will be analyzed.

Topics and Guests

Listeners expressed a strong interest in hearing more about ethical and societal issues surrounding
technology. They suggested topics related to the ethics of artificial intelligence, surveillance,
social AI, and grief bots ("AI and tech used to ’revive’ deceased people," as one respondent
described it), environmental impacts of generative AI, and equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in
technological development.
The listeners’ responses point to a preference for topics with more tangible, practical, implications
—the most frequent category of suggestions. This also reflects the topics that had already emerged
when listeners were asked about their favourite episodes.

"I like when podcasts are focused on a specific

location/cultural context/empirical case. E.g., facial
recognition surveillance in Palestine."

One listener noted enjoying when episodes also have a focus on solutions and pointing towards
positive outcomes with technology:

"I really like when you intertwine uplifting tech solutions

with problems that affect people, particularly women, and
how it can work towards systemic social change towards
greater ’good’."

There was also a call for discussions on colonialism and perspectives from beyond the English-
speaking world. These include both non-Western perspectives and having episodes with speakers
of different languages with the aid of translation, such as tech feminist collectives from South
America.

Potential Guests. In terms of guests, the specific individuals suggested by listeners include
high-profile names in their fields and reflect some of the topics of preference listed previously.
The list includes names that discuss matters of race and colonialism, such as Alondra Nelson
and Ruha Benjamin. The list also reflects the desire for critical perspectives, with names such as
Brian Merchant and Meredith Whittaker, as well as diversity in terms of geography and field of
expertise.
 The Good Robot | Academic Podcasting Report 21

New Modes of Engagement

An increased presence on social media was a frequent suggestion on how to expand the podcast’s
audience, also indicating that listeners want to increase their level of engagement with the
podcast. Visually-driven platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok came up multiple times.
Multiple respondents requested frequent engagement through these other formats. The kinds of
content listeners suggested for sharing on these social media sites also suggest a desire for a
closer connection. These include teasers from episodes showing the hosts and guests and more
personable information.

"More personal information like the Reel on how to

become an AI ethicist, more authentic insights behind
the ’theories’ and concepts, also faster edits on TikTok,
other camera angles (like zoom in/out), more ’real life’
examples."

Some suggestions focused on engaging directly with specific groups of people. One of them is
other podcasters and influencers for collaboration. Another idea is outreach to groups that might
be interested in the The Good Robot’s content, such as universities and local authorities who
work with technology and innovation.
For the podcast itself, one user suggested increasing the frequency of episodes. Another men-
tioned including shorter episodes, such as 5-minute summary podcasts for students or busy
professionals. Incorporating more voices was also mentioned, including those from the Global
South or listener participation.
22 The Good Robot | Academic Podcasting Report

Podcasting Lessons from The Good Robot

Eleanor Drage

Dr. Eleanor Drage (left) and Dr. Kerry McInerney, hosts of The Good Robot podcast, in a BBC radio studio. Accessibility caption: The
two women appear smiling, looking at the camera, in front of a table with microphones in a grey room with textured walls.

Some lessons in this report can be helpful for The Good Robot and other academic podcasters
moving forward. The responses to the listener survey suggest that the podcast has been suc-
cessfully supporting the dissemination of relevant information and fulfilling a role in supporting
educators and students. This provides additional evidence for this format’s effectiveness in
disseminating scholarly content and fostering debate.

• Curriculum Integration: Educators could be encouraged to integrate episodes into syllabi,

particularly in courses on ethics, technology studies, or gender studies.
• Student Engagement: Students report using the podcast as a reference and means to
discover information. Promoting the podcast as a resource for student research and assign-
ments could foster greater engagement.
• Diversifying Voices and Perspectives: The Good Robot’s role in including diverse and critical
perspectives on technology discussions has been highlighted by listeners. This also appears
as something they crave more in the suggestions for topics to explore.
• Practical Element: Listener preferences and suggestions for topics on
 The Good Robot | Academic Podcasting Report 23

Continuous Engagement
One of the advantages of podcasting over traditional academic communication formats is the
direct connection it enables with the audience. This can be seen as a desirable characteristic in
the feedback provided in the listener survey, with many of them requesting additional content
on social media that brings them closer to the show. This report also shows the importance of
regularity in this endeavour, with periods without new episodes having lower audience numbers.
Thus, both in the podcast itself and the communication ecosystem surrounding it, continuous
engagement is key.

• Publish Frequently: Months with fewer episodes published also had fewer podcast down-
loads overall. This is to be expected in new episodes, as the audience traditionally is
concentrated on the few days after a release. However, this analysis shows that fresh
content also impacts the attention directed towards older episodes.

• Long Shelf Life: For episodes individually, listenership might be concentrated on the first
few days after release. Though, possibly due to engaging with topics in depth, older content
continues to engage for a long time. To the point that most monthly downloads actually
come from archive content.

Challenging Upkeep. The need for an ongoing effort to publish content might not align well
with some academics’ time constraints. Producing episodes takes a lot of time, and so does
distributing them. As noted, not keeping up with those needs directly impacts listenership
numbers.

Improving Distribution
Reaching audiences is a challenge for podcasters. The Good Robot’s experience and the listener
survey provide insights on strategies, such as leveraging social media and further exploring older
episodes.

• Social Media: Respondents of the Listener Survey indicate wanting further engagement
through different social media to have more content from the podcast to consume. They
also suggest this as a way to reach more users.

• Redistribute Content: Since older episodes are the main source of audience for the podcast,
it might make sense to include them in the distribution strategy more often. They can be
reshared on social media, leveraging spikes of interest in their topics (e.g., news events,
special dates). Another strategy could be to refer to older episodes in new recordings more
often.

• Increase International Profile: Strategies adopted following suggestions from a consultancy

reflected on a smaller concentration of The Good Robot’s audience in the UK by increasing
listenership in the US. Some of these include advertisement swaps with relevant podcasting
partners; creating collaborative content with like-minded podcasters; and expanding media
production through platforms like The Good Robot Podcast’s newsletter.
24 The Good Robot | Academic Podcasting Report

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 The Good Robot | Academic Podcasting Report 27

About the Authors

Raphael Hernandes is a Research Assistant at the Leverhulme

Centre for the Future of Intelligence at the University of Cambridge
working on the intersection of AI and journalism and AI in political
communications. He has a decade-long background in journalism,
having worked as a data analyst, reporter, and editor-at-large
at some of Brazil’s most important news outlets, writing about
technology and society issues. Raphael has also managed projects
that applied data and AI in the newsroom.

Dr Kerry McInerney (née Mackereth) is a Senior Research Fellow

at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence at the
University of Cambridge, where she co-leads the Global Politics of
AI project on how AI is impacting international relations. She is
also a Research Fellow at the AI Now Institute (a leading AI policy
think tank in New York), and was a Visiting Fellow at the Institute
of Advanced Studies, UCL for 2023-2024. Kerry is an AHRC/BBC
New Generation Thinker (2023), one of the 100 Brilliant Women
in AI Ethics (2022), one of Computing’s Rising Stars 30 (2023), and
the co-host of The Good Robot Podcast. Kerry is the co-editor
of the collection Feminist AI: Critical Perspectives on Algorithms,
Data, and Intelligent Machines (2023, Oxford University Press), the
collection The Good Robot: Why Technology Needs Feminism (2024,
Bloomsbury Academic), and the co-author of the forthcoming book
Reprogram: Why Big Tech is Broken and How Feminism Can Fix It
(2026, Princeton University Press).

Dr Eleanor Drage is a Senior Research Fellow at the University

of Cambridge, Co-Director of the AI: Narratives and Justice Pro-
gramme, and Bye-Fellow and Tutor at Gonville & Caius College. She
is Co-I on the Desirable Digitalisation project and PI on the HEAT
project, an AI ethics and regulation project that helps companies
respond to the EU AI Act. She also uses feminist and anti-racist
ideas to improve society’s understanding of AI, for example, to
demonstrate why AI-powered hiring tools can’t de-bias hiring, and
why AI can’t make neutral predictions about which protests are
likely to turn violent. This work has been covered by the BBC,
Forbes, The Telegraph, The Guardian, and internationally. She’s
the author of An Experience of the Impossible: The Planetary Hu-
manism of European Women’s SF (2023), and co-editor of The Good
Robot: Feminist Voices on the Future of Technology (2024), and
Feminist AI: Critical Perspectives on Algorithms, Data and Intel-
ligent Machines (2023). She has also worked with organisations
including Google DeepMind, The Financial Times, The United Na-
tions Data Science & Ethics Group. She is the co-host of The Good
Robot Podcast.