How to Summarize Podcasts and Interviews with AI (2026)
Podcasts are great. Two- to four-hour runtimes are not.
If you want the knowledge without the commitment, the goal is simple: TL;DR → takeaways → action items → searchable notes.
What you can get from AI podcast summaries
- decide if an episode is worth your time
- extract the 3–7 most actionable ideas
- build a reading list (studies/books/tools mentioned)
- capture quotable insights for later
5-minute workflow (Eyesme example)
Step 1: TL;DR value check
Ask:
- What’s the core topic?
- Who is the audience?
- What are the key takeaways?
Step 2: Structured outline
Request:
- key takeaways
- claims → evidence
- disagreements/counterpoints
- action items
Step 3: Follow-up Q&A
Prompts that work:
- “Turn this into a 10-step checklist.”
- “List every study/book mentioned.”
- “What’s the strongest argument and its weakness?”
Step 4: Save a searchable note
Use a consistent template:
- title + guest
- key takeaways
- action items
- references
- your own judgement
If you mostly watch YouTube podcasts
Use the YouTube workflow guide:
Bottom line
You don’t need to hear every minute to get value. Be a curator, not a sponge.