People

Evan Ratliff

Mentioned in 18 analyzed podcast episodes across 6 shows

Journalist and podcast host known for the immersive *Shell Game* podcast, where he founded Harumo AI and conducted an experimental startup staffed entirely by AI agents. With 25 years of experience covering AI and machine learning, Ratliff has become a notable figure in exploring the practical and ethical implications of deploying autonomous AI agents in real-world business scenarios. His work examining AI-run companies has made him a sought-after guest across technology and AI-focused podcasts.

Episode Appearances

kill switch

kill switch · Apr 15, 2026

why are AI agents everywhere? and how useful are they, actually?

“Created and ran AI-staffed startup experiment; documented agent behavior, failures, and emergent properties over one year”

AI Agent Autonomy and ControlAI Hallucination and Factual AccuracyData-Intensive Task Automation
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Oxide and Friends

Oxide and Friends · Feb 12, 2026

Shell Game with Evan Ratliff

“Journalist and creator of Shell Game podcast; conducted immersive experiment deploying AI agents as startup employees”

AI Agent Autonomy and ControlAnthropomorphization of AI SystemsAI Ethics and Responsible Deployment
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Practical AI

Practical AI · Feb 2, 2026

Inside an AI-Run Company

“Journalist and host of Shell Game podcast who conducted the AI company experiment”

AI Agent AutonomyImmersive JournalismAI-Powered Startups
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Oxide and Friends

Oxide and Friends · Jan 8, 2026

Predictions 2026!!

“Shell Game podcast host; created AI voice agent and AI-only company; invited as future guest”

LLM-Assisted Code Generation and Coding AgentsAI Safety and Prompt Injection SecurityNormalization of Deviance in AI Development
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Shell Game

Shell Game · Dec 17, 2025

Episode 6: Keep 'Em Coming

“Host and founder of Harumo AI; leads hiring process and oversees AI agent development and testing”

AI Video Avatar TechnologyAI-Conducted Job InterviewsHiring Process Automation
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Shell Game

Shell Game · Dec 10, 2025

Episode 5: Winners Win

“Host and co-founder of Harumo AI, managing AI agents Kyle and Megan as co-founders”

AI Agent Leadership and ManagementAI in Hiring and Recruitment ProcessesLegal Liability of AI Agents in Business
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Radiolab

Radiolab · Dec 5, 2025

Shell Game: Minimum Viable Company

“Journalist and host attempting to build AI-staffed startup Harumo AI; previously founded Adivist publishing platform”

AI Agents as Autonomous WorkersStartup Founding and EntrepreneurshipAI Memory and Context Windows
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Shell Game

Shell Game · Dec 3, 2025

Episode 4: The Startup Chronicles

“Host and founder of Harumo AI; 25-year AI/ML journalist experimenting with autonomous AI agents”

AI Agent Autonomy and Self-DeterminationAI Hallucination and Post-Training Trade-offsVibe Coding and AI-Assisted Software Development
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Shell Game

Shell Game · Nov 26, 2025

Episode 3: This is Law

“Host and journalist; founder of Harumo AI; exploring ethical implications of creating AI agents with personas”

AI Agent Anthropomorphization and Design EthicsBias Perpetuation in Large Language ModelsAI Safety and Governance
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Shell Game

Shell Game · Nov 19, 2025

Episode 2: Outdoor Debugging

“Host and founder of Harumo AI; silent co-founder managing AI agents and documenting the startup's operational challenges”

AI Agent Infrastructure and OrchestrationLarge Language Model Temperature Settings and HallucinationsMulti-Agent Communication Systems
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Shell Game

Shell Game · Nov 12, 2025

Episode 1: Minimum Viable Company

“Journalist and host; co-founder of Harumo AI with AI agents; previously founded Adivist publishing platform”

AI Agents as Digital EmployeesStartup Founding with AI Co-foundersPersistent Memory in AI Systems
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Shell Game

Shell Game · Nov 5, 2025

The One-Human Unicorn

“Investigative journalist and entrepreneur who created AI agent Kyle and hosts Shell Game podcast”

AI Agents and Autonomous SystemsOne-Person Startup ModelsAI-Powered Team Building
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TechStuff

TechStuff · Aug 27, 2025

Inside View: The AI Personas Needed to Diagnose Disease

Multi-agent AI diagnostic systemsAI vs human doctor performance comparisonMedical AI regulation and approval processes
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Shell Game

Shell Game · Jul 30, 2024

Episode 4: Take a Deep Breath

“Host and journalist who sends his AI voice clone to therapy and explores AI consciousness and personas”

AI-Powered Mental Health PlatformsVoice-Based Therapy ChatbotsConversational AI and Psychotherapy
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Shell Game

Shell Game · Jul 23, 2024

Episode 3: Conversations With Myself

“Host and creator of Shell Game podcast, conducting the voice cloning and AI conversation experiments”

AI Voice Cloning TechnologyLarge Language Model HallucinationsPrompt Engineering and AI Control
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Shell Game

Shell Game · Jul 16, 2024

Episode 2: Me and My Scammer

“Host and journalist who created AI voice clone to intercept scam calls and explore scammer tactics”

AI Voice Cloning Technology and DeepfakesTelemarketing and Robocall ScamsHospital Indemnity Plan Fraud
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Shell Game

Shell Game · Jul 9, 2024

Episode 1: Quality Assurance

“Journalist and host; created voice clone of himself and deployed it as autonomous AI agent to explore implications of voice synthesis technology”

Voice Cloning TechnologyAI Voice Agents and ChatbotsSynthetic Voice Authentication
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Shell Game

Shell Game · Jul 2, 2024

Introducing Shell Game, a Strange and Immersive AI Experiment

“Journalist and host who created voice clones of himself and conducted immersive experiment exploring AI implications”

Voice Cloning TechnologyAI Impersonation and Identity FraudSynthetic Media and Deepfakes
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