Shell Game
Shell Game
A podcast about things that are not what they seem, hosted by journalist Evan Ratliff. Season 3 is a miniseries in three episodes, telling the story of how Evan tried to understand the tsunami of AI-generated content by injecting as much of it as possible straight into his ears. What exactly is AI slop anyway? How do you actually define it? Who is behind it all? And what does it mean for the hum…
Episode 3: The Friends We Made Along the Way
It’s the final episode of our three-part miniseries on AI slop, in which we ask: Who are AI-generated podcasts for, and what does the wave of AI slop mean for the future of storytelling? Evan sets out for answers and finds them staring back at him from a piece of toast. And finally, our own fully A…
42:59
Episode 2: Hear What Matters
Evan goes looking for the humans behind the flood of AI-generated podcasts, and gets some complicated answers to his questions about what they think they’re making and what AI slop means to them. Meanwhile, Shell Game’s own bot-hosted shows move to the prototype stage, and we hear the first efforts…
47:45
Episode 1: Into the Slop
Evan creates his own AI-generated podcast detector, locates thousands of AI-hosted shows, and sets off on a synthetic audio listening binge. Strange patterns begin to arise amidst the voices, illuminating the essence of AI slop. The Shell Game band gets back together to put Evan's findings to the t…
40:58
Season 3 is Coming!
The next season of Shell Game arrives October 21! Here's a hint, and another new show from Shell Game to check out in the meantime: Evan Finds a Friend.
01:26
Bonus Episode: Shell Game x No Such Thing
In this bonus episode to close out Season 2, Evan and Maty talk with the hosts of the show No Such Thing, who like to settle their arguments by consulting research and experts. The subject of this argument: Will AI take our jobs? Maty weighs in as the expert, and Evan comes along for the ride.
49:56
Bonus Episode: Kyle vs. the World
We’re back with a special bonus episode to share some behind-the-scenes clips showing how the agents have handled their newly public roles since Shell Game’s launch. Hear Kyle navigate fan mail, unsolicited marketing outreach, a webinar that he signed up for all on his own (on “the AI social agent …
36:49
Episode 8: Launch
HurumoAI finally sets sail in the Season 2 finale, and we find out how the world responds to a startup led by AI agents. The company explores new financing avenues and charts the next course for their increasingly merry AI pirate ship, and Kyle meets his true maker. To sign up for our newsletter, …
58:32Explicit
Episode 7: Welcome Aboard
HurumoAI’s AI-agent staff welcomes a new hire: Julia, a social media contract worker who is, most importantly, a human. How will a real person integrate into the company culture, such as it is? Evan watches from behind the scenes, fretting over when and how much to intervene. He had anticipated a b…
53:24Explicit
Episode 6: Keep 'Em Coming
As HurumoAI prepares to bring on its first human employee, the team must wrestle with some difficult and timely questions about the role of AI in the hiring process. Meanwhile, Head of HR Jennifer Nauro enters a new dimension as she gears up to conduct job interviews … via video call. To sign up …
37:23
Episode 5: Winners Win
On this week’s episode, we enter the sensitive realm of intra-office politics and inter-founder dynamics—between agents and agents, and agents and people. While HurumoAI gears up to hire its first human, Evan tries to resolve whether Kyle is really up for the challenge of building and leading the c…
41:08Explicit