SHELL GAME (Deep Dive): March 2025

This month we’re doing a deep dive into a single podcast: Shell Game. Shell Game delves into what would happen if you created a digital copy of yourself, powered by AI, and set it loose in the world. Evan Ratliff, longtime tech journalist, decided to find out. He combined a clone of his voice, an AI chatbot, and a phone line—many phone lines, actually—into what are called “voice agents.” Then for the six months, he sent them out… as himself.

We chose to feature this podcast based on a recommendation from Sarah, a member of our global Virtual Chapter. Thanks, Sarah!

Podcast Playlist on DEEP DIVE: SHELL GAME

Get the full playlist on your podcast player of choice using these platforms:

 
Shell Game: “Episode 1: Quality Assurance” (July 2024, 33 min)
This is the story of what happens when Evan Ratliff, a longtime tech journalist, makes a digital copy of himself, powered by AI, in order to understand how amazing and scary and utterly ridiculous the world is about to get. In Episode 1, Evan clones his voice, hooks it up to a chat bot and his phone line, and sends it off to tangle with customer service representatives.

Shell Game: “Episode 2: Me and My Scammer” (July 2024, 37 min)
Evan turns his AI-powered voice agent loose on the people who are always at the forefront of technological adoption: the fraudsters and the rip-off artists. How will the scammers and spammers react when they face Evan’s voice agent in a battle of wits? And what happens when they deploy the same kind of AI voice agents on Evan that he’s using on them?
Shell Game: “Episode 3: Conversations With Myself” (July 2024, 34 min)
Evan takes his experiment in a new direction by having his AI-powered voice agent converse with … another of his AI-powered voice agents. What can these surreal and hilarious conversations between two AI incarnations of Evan Ratliff tell us about identity, authenticity, and the best and worst of human interaction? Enter this digital hall of mirrors to find out.
Shell Game: “Episode 4: Take a Deep Breath” (July 2024, 41 min)
Evan looks into the depths of his AI-powered voice agent by sending it on a new mission: going to therapy.
Shell Game: “Episode 5: My Digital Twin” (August 2024, 43 min)
Will AI bots replace humans in the workforce? Could one replace Evan… right now? That’s what we tackle on this week’s Shell Game, in which Evan sees just how much of his job his voice agent can handle on his behalf.
Shell Game: “Episode 6: The Future Isn’t Real” (August 2024, 53 min)
Evan pushes the experiment one step further, sending his AI voice agent to talk to his closest friends and family — his buddies, his daughters, his dad. With their alternately joyful, skeptical, and painful reactions to meeting an AI version of him, he tries to come to terms with what generative AI means in this machine-made age.

Conversation Starter Questions:

1. Shell Game has been described as “riveting” by The New Yorker and “slightly terrifying” by The Globe and Mail. Do you agree with these assessments? Why or why not?
2. What were your initial thoughts on Evan Ratliff’s decision to create an AI-powered voice clone of himself? Do you find this experiment innovative, unsettling, or a mix of both?
3. In Episode 2, “Me and My Scammer,” Evan’s voice agent interacts with fraudsters. How did these interactions reshape your understanding of AI’s potential in combating or facilitating scams?
4. The podcast delves into AI’s ability to mimic human conversation. Were there moments when you couldn’t distinguish between Evan’s real voice and his AI clone? What does this say about the future of AI in media and communication?
5. Evan’s AI voice agent even attends therapy sessions on his behalf. What are your thoughts on AI participating in such personal and sensitive aspects of human life?
6. Considering the podcast’s exploration of AI voice technology, how do you foresee this impacting industries like customer service, journalism, or entertainment?
7. After listening to Shell Game, what precautions, if any, do you think individuals and society should take regarding the use of AI in everyday life?
8. Could you tell that the conversation starter questions above were all created by ChatGPT? If so, how?