Steven Bartlett, the entrepreneur and podcast host, is facing backlash over his latest venture: an AI-generated children's show called Steven's World. The show, set to debut later this summer on YouTube and Spotify, repackages lessons from his Diary of a CEO podcast using an AI model trained on previous episodes. Early concepts feature sentient vegetables led by a young Bartlett, delivering motivational truisms and bursting into song.
The Observer report has drawn criticism on social media, with Instagram users reacting negatively. One commenter pleaded, 'Please never put all those words together ever again,' while another asked, 'Can he just stop?' This follows Bartlett's previous AI project, 100 CEOs, which featured an AI clone narrating founder stories.
Bartlett's Diary of a CEO podcast, one of the UK's most popular with over a billion streams, has faced increasing scrutiny. Critics have labelled it part of the 'red pill pipeline' and 'manosphere ideology with a ring light and a warm hug.' YouTuber Therese Lee suggested it could 'serve as a trojan horse for the manosphere,' lulling listeners into accepting problematic ideas.
Bartlett, 33, rose to fame as co-founder of Social Chain and became the youngest Dragon on Dragons' Den. His latest company, steven.com, was valued at £320m in late 2025. Despite his success, his podcast has courted controversy, including a 2024 ASA ban on Facebook ads endorsing Huel and Zoe due to undisclosed commercial interests.
