How to add an AI co-host to a video podcast or livestream
by Danny Abdeljabbar, founder of manekuThe short answer
Use an AI co-host that joins your recording room as a participant. With maneku, you paste your Riverside, Descript or Restream room link into a Mac app, and the co-host joins like a remote guest: its own tile, name and voice, silent until you summon it. On Riverside and Descript it records to its own track. On Restream it speaks on the stream and can post in the live chat.
Video podcasts are growing fast, and plenty of YouTubers and streamers now run what is basically a talk show. If you've wondered whether an AI could sit on that show as a guest, it can. This is how I set it up, using maneku, the AI co-host I build.
What you'll end up with
The co-host joins your recording room the same way a remote guest does. It shows up as its own tile, with its own name and voice. It listens to the whole conversation and stays quiet until you summon it. When you do, it speaks in the room, and your audience hears it like anyone else on the call.
The tile shows the co-host's name and a voice visualizer, so viewers always know who's talking. Video shows have had audio-only guests for years, and it works the same way here.
Step 1: Pick where you record
maneku works in three places today:
- Riverside, for recorded video podcasts. The co-host records to its own separate track.
- Descript Rooms, also for recorded shows, with the same separate track. That makes editing easy, since you can level it, trim it or cut it like any other guest.
- Restream Studio, for going live. The co-host speaks on the stream and can post in the live chat, and Restream sends the stream to YouTube, Twitch and wherever else you broadcast.
Step 2: Install and add your keys
maneku is a macOS app. Download it, open it, and create an account with Google or an email address.
The beta runs on your own AI provider keys: one for the co-host's thinking, one for the live transcript, and optionally one for a higher quality voice. Setting them up takes about ten minutes, and the key setup guide walks through each one with screenshots. You pay those providers directly for what you use, and maneku itself is free until December 31, 2026.
Step 3: Create a show and pick a persona
A show is a preset for your podcast or series. It holds the show's name and any standing context you want the co-host to know every episode, like the format, recurring bits and who usually hosts.
A persona is the character that joins: its name, its voice and its personality. You can pick a built-in one or make your own, and tune how funny, formal and chatty it is. This is the part that makes it feel like your show's co-host rather than a generic assistant, so it's worth ten minutes.
Step 4: Paste your room link and join
Copy the same room link you'd send a guest, paste it into maneku, and it detects the platform and joins. The co-host's tile appears in your room. If your platform has a lobby or an approval step, let it in like any other guest.
Step 5: Summon it during the show
Press the summon button in the app, or a hotkey you set yourself. You choose how it responds:
- Ask for a quick take or a reaction
- Research to look something up and cite where it came from
- Deep to give it room to carry a segment
It usually starts speaking about a second and a half after you summon it.
Tips for video specifically
- Put its tile where your audience can see it. When the co-host talks, viewers want somewhere to look, the same as with any guest.
- Play clips and get reactions. On Riverside and Descript, if you share your screen with audio, the co-host hears that audio too. You can play a clip and ask what it thinks. It's a fun format for reaction and commentary channels.
- Introduce it in your first episode. Tell viewers what it is and keep a line about it in your description. I wrote more about disclosing AI on your show.
- Edit it like a guest. On Riverside and Descript it's a separate track, so you can tighten its pauses or cut a take that didn't land.
Questions people ask
Will my audience see the AI co-host on video?
Yes, as a guest tile with its name and a voice visualizer. Your audience hears it the same way they hear any remote guest.
Which platforms does it work with?
Descript Rooms, Riverside and Restream Studio. The homepage always has the current list.
Can the AI co-host hear a clip I play during the show?
On Riverside and Descript, yes, if you share your screen with audio in the room. It hears that audio and labels it as your screen share in the transcript, so you can play a clip and ask it to react.
What do I need to run it?
A Mac and your own AI provider keys. The key setup guide walks you through the keys in about ten minutes.
How fast does it respond?
Usually about a second and a half after you summon it, depending on the mode. A quick take is fastest. Research and longer segments take a little more time.
Danny Abdeljabbar
I built maneku. I also make all the artwork and marketing for Dry Quest, an app I developed with my wife, and I'm usually building a smaller app or two on the side. I co-host the Bro History podcast, and by day I work in revenue operations. Before all of this, I was an artist across a lot of mediums, including music and audio.
Want a co-host in your next recording?
maneku is in open beta on macOS. It joins Descript, Riverside and Restream as a real participant.
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