Airchat: AI-Powered Social Audio

This is Generative Phil, where I try new AI tools to solve one of my real problems and give it a rating between 1 - 10 Evil Robot Overlords (10, of course, being so essential it's a little scary).

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Sometimes you don't know you need something until you get it.

And if you have any social wonks in your immediate circle, this weekend you were surely inundated with invites to Airchat , a social feed a la Twitter using voice that translates to text, using AI to format with a very high level of accuracy.

I'm addicted. And it seems I'm not alone based on the sheer amount of high-level execs (including Gary Vee) using the app like it's Twitter in 2012.

Big ups to Shira Lazar for inviting me!

And, on that note, I'm going be breaking my regular format since I'm not solving a problem per se.

Instead, I'll cover my experience as a 24-hour veteran of the platform.

INVITATIONS

Right now, much like early Clubhouse, invitations can only be sent by users already on the platform. Right now, you can invite as many people as you want, but based on their need to stop invites today, I imagine that could change at any time.

As I've discussed in my 'Grow 1%' newsletter and bears repeating: jumping onto a new platform right away is smart. You can get an OG handle (I'm @socialmedia on Airchat) and there's no requirement to start posting aggressively.

And also like Clubhouse, you can see who invited whom in every profile right below your bio link and 'About' section. Here's the view:

Quick note on the profile: you can also hit the star button and make 'Highlights' on your profile. It's kind of like 'pinning' on Instagram.

SEARCH

There are really strong search capabilities on the platform already. You can search on three levels: 'Latest', 'Top', and 'People'. It searches posts, user names, and user handles.

Here's my search for 'Creator':

POSTING

Posting is simple. You have two options: audio and video.

With audio selected, you just hold your finger down on the microphone and when you release, it posts your audio along with a text post that corrects punctuation and spacing with AI shortly after it transcribes.

That's right: you only get one shot.

You have the option to delete after, of course, but it will still briefly be posted for the whole world to hear.

Same for video, except your little circle icon becomes the video and your voice still transcribes.

So if your phone is muted, you can read your feed just like Twitter, but if your audio is on, you'll hear it too.

I've found the AI format correction to be pretty accurate. And it made me realize how often I wish I had a second take.

Once you post, you have the option to add a link or a picture by tapping the '+' button under the post, which then display much like Twitter.

THE FEED

Again, like classic Twitter before it was ruined, you get a feed with posts from everyone you follow and you have the ability to 'heart' the post or re-post. You can also start a reply thread by simply long-tapping on your microphone button.

But the audio-focused nature of the product leads to more conversational threading, so often I find myself listening to the original post and then listening to the chain of replies.

I'm not 100% sure how the algorithm decides which thread to show you. Perhaps the most 'hearts' wins?

There are also 'groups' you can join. I'm in the 'creators' group, and I can see every post from every member of the group as they can see mine. I haven't figured out how to start groups yet, but it feels like a powerful way to curate your feed to experience Airchat however you'd like.

Side note: it sounds like the voice is always just a bit faster than it was when recorded. I like this. It keeps the feed moving if someone is a slow-talker.

DMs

One of my favorite features of Airchat: DMing in audio form, but also giving you the ability to read it if you don't feel like listening.

It's giving 'Marco Polo' during that apps heyday.

I'm finding myself having phone call-like conversations with people I haven't spoken to in ages without the pressure of needing to respond immediately.

THE FUTURE

I'm way beyond the stage in my life when I predict which platforms will die and which will thrive, but I believe Airchat has a strong chance of thriving.

Hopefully, they learned from Clubhouse's go-to-market issues and will find a way to keep spam from overwhelming the feed.

And I think the audio element will stop a lot of the spam issues that make Twitter nearly unusable.

Ultimately, I think their biggest weakness is also their biggest benefit: will the speed of audio messages lead to more garbage-posting than thought-out text? I only wonder because a shocking amount of people are unable to string together a cogent thought when put on the spot.

I'm already seeing incredible LinkedIn posters struggle to put together strong posts on Airchat.

But suppose you're a brand with an awesome social media manager, a podcaster, a musician, a creator with a fanbase that cares about your opinions, or a LinkedIn influencer with strong verbal skills. In that case, this feels like one heck of a winner.

I can see where this platform can go in the future to become one of those 1 hour+ per day usage apps:

• Passive listening mode that continues to play through meaningful threads so you can listen while working out or in the car.
• Branded audio that can play between posts with revenue share to creators.
• Real-time social chat rooms in a platform that's more 'audio friendly' than features on X or LinkedIn.
• Professional musician features to drop bits of new tracks.
• Custom voice commands that use AI to let you include links, pictures, or videos without needing to copy links on your phone.

So if you're interested, shoot me a DM with your phone number (invites all happen via text) and if I'm able, I'll send you an invite.

I look forward to finally hearing all of your wonderful (or even your not-so-wonderful) voices!

About the Author

Phil Ranta, is an 18-year veteran of the creator economy as a creator, executive, investor, and advisor. A 2021 LinkedIn Top Voice in Innovation & Tech, Phil has been a diehard LinkedIn poster since he set up his account in 2007. He was the Head of Gaming Creators, North America at Facebook, the first network lead at Fullscreen, the COO at Studio71, and spent 10 years as a working comedian (including 2 years on cruise ships). He's a husband, a dad of two littles, and an insufferable digital media wonk.

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