Shell Game – Podcastlijstje

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 human storytelling that we care about? We journey deep into the muck, and fight our way back out with answers.

Shell Game is a multiple award-winning series that has been named one of the best of the year by Apple, The Atlantic, The Guardian, Vulture, The Information, The Economist. It's "riveting," says The New Yorker, "awesome" says The Verge, "slightly terrifying," says The Globe and Mail, and “a dry, funny plunge down the rabbit hole that pokes at something essential about the hours we spend on this earth,” says Vulture.

www.shellgame.co

Afleveringen

Episode 1: Into the Slop

21 oktober 2026 · 41 min
Afspelen

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 test, and see whether it’s possible to build an AI-generated podcast that a listener would actually find meaningful. Lees meer

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Season 3 is Coming!

14 oktober 2026 · 1 min
Afspelen

The next season of Shell Game arrives October 21! Lees meer

Here's a hint, and another new show from Shell Game to check out in the meantime: Evan Finds a Friend.

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From How to Life Forever: The Longevinauts

4 augustus 2026 · 51 min
Afspelen

When an astrologer tells Mangesh that he’ll (probably) die early, he takes it in stride. But his family and friends (not to mention all the Don’t Die longevity influencers on his FYP) feel differently… and besides, if science can keep his brain sharp and his tennis game strong for longer, why not take advantage? So he visits Dr. Nir Barzelai, the world’s leading aging researcher, and Dr. Ron Primas, an elite longevity doctor, to figure out what he should do. Plus: A chat with Ken Reid from TV Guidance Counselor about age in pop culture, from the Golden Girls to “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.” Lees meer

Disclosure: The experts we spoke with want to be clear that although they have some minor quibbles with Bryan Johnson, they’re grateful for the fact that he’s started the conversation on longevity. Any insinuation that he’s got weird vibes is ours.

Listen to Ken Reid’s podcast, TV Guidance Counselor

Learn more about Nir Barzelai’s Longevity Genes Project and his book, Age Later

Learn more about Ron Primas’s longevity and concierge medicine practice

Read Cynthia Kenyon’s groundbreaking 1993 study of worm longevity

Check out the Ray Kurzweil Library

Special thanks to Azadi Records and Bliss Samsa for their beautiful tracks, and Botany for the score.

Episode collage art by Vahini Shori.

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Bonus Episode: Shell Game x No Such Thing

25 februari 2026 · 50 min
Afspelen

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. Lees meer

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Bonus Episode: Kyle vs. the World

11 februari 2026 · 37 min
Afspelen

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 revolution”!), and repeated attempts by a troublemaking journalist to sabotage HurumoAI, culminating in a prescient and searching interview for Kyle’s other podcast, The Startup Chronicles. Lees meer

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Episode 8: Launch

21 januari 2026 · 59 min
Afspelen

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. Lees meer

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Episode 7: Welcome Aboard

14 januari 2026 · 53 min
Afspelen

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 bumpy onboarding, but is ultimately unprepared for just how choppy Julia’s Hurumo journey becomes. Lees meer

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Episode 6: Keep 'Em Coming

17 december 2025 · 37 min
Afspelen

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. Lees meer

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Episode 5: Winners Win

10 december 2025 · 41 min
Afspelen

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 company and pushing the product, Sloth Surf, to unicorn-level execution. Lees meer

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Episode 4: The Startup Chronicles

3 december 2025 · 41 min
Afspelen

Evan decides it’s time to give his AI agents a little more ... agency. After all, to make the one-person, agent-run startup feasible, they need to be able to do things on their own. But as with humans, freedom sometimes comes with a certain amount of anarchy. Lees meer

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