Pocket FM is rolling out new AI tools to speed up audio story production and boost international growth. The India-based audio series platform is handing its writers an AI-powered writing assistant called CoPilot. It suggests better endings, ups the drama, and shapes stories to fit specific genres — all to crank out content faster.
The startup already uses AI voices from ElevenLabs and tested AI writing tools internally. Now all writers get access to CoPilot, which can rewrite narrative to dialogue, analyze story beats, and even suggest background audio tags. It builds on thousands of hours of listener data to push better engagement and conflict in episodes.
Pocket FM also launched AI-driven story adaptation tools for localization. After struggling in Germany, they used AI to tailor stories with local names and culture tweaks. Results jumped — monthly in-app revenue hit $700,000 in June, with a 50% boost in writer productivity and fewer errors. 
In the US, AI-assisted series now account for 10% of playtime and have generated $7 million in revenue over the past year, while cutting production costs by 2-3x.
The company churns out close to 1,000 pilot episodes per month, betting a few will stick. It’s also branching out with comics via Pocket Toons and exploring video and micro-dramas.
Next year, Pocket FM plans to launch a custom large language model to unify all AI features like writing help, dramatization, and plot tracking. That’ll replace the smaller models currently in use.
But AI adoption hasn’t come without fallout. Over the last year, Pocket FM laid off hundreds of writers and contractors amid a push for profitability. The company faces lawsuits in California over employment and wage claims. Some creators report lower earnings overtime.
A spokesperson addressed the layoffs and AI impact:
“Like most content-led industries, we work with a diverse network of writers, voice artists, and production partners on a project basis, tailoring resources to each market. AI has had minimal impact on our core creative community; instead, it has opened new avenues to expand reach and output.”
There are concerns about quality slipping into “AI slop,” harming user discovery and engagement. But Pocket FM stresses all content is reviewed by an AI moderation system checking originality, duplication, and content health before release. Shows get equal promotion and user response decides what rises.
The company also highlighted how AI tools help writers focus on editing and steering stories faster, not full rewrites:
“This way, faster content creation doesn’t necessarily dilute quality or relevance; it just shifts the writer’s role towards editing, refining, and steering more productive output.”
As AI drives more output, especially in markets like Germany where AI first drafts exceed human ones, the question is if returns will keep pace. User growth and retention will be crucial.
Pocket FM has raised over $196 million so far to back this AI-powered scaling push. The company sees itself as the “Netflix of audio,” racing to flood markets with tailored episodic audio series amplified by AI.
