Bloomberg: AI-Generated, Virtual Products Are Coming to a Podcast Near You

Rembrand believes its technology could power the future of podcasting, and, more ambitiously, all video product-placement in general, moving the form beyond visual effects and relying entirely on AI to do the creating.

The company began formally selling and placing ads on shows this past June and worked consistently with around 50 creators last quarter, said Cory Treffiletti, Rembrand’s chief marketing officer.

To date, the team has raised $9 million, according to Omar Tawakol, chief executive officer. Investors include UTA.VC, an arm of United Talent Agency, and BOLD, the venture-capital fund from L’Oreal SA.

Some UTA-represented podcasts, including AsianBossGirl and Zane and Heath: Unfiltered , have embraced the technology. Janet Wang, co-host and co-founder of AsianBossGirl, said her UTA agent introduced her and her co-hosts to Rembrand. The revenue they make from the virtual products supplements their typical host-read ads. They only began regularly uploading a video version of their show nine months ago, so they hadn’t previously dealt with product placement.

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