Kaleidoscope and iHeartPodcasts have released the trailer for the second season of “Shell Game,” a podcast hosted by journalist Evan Ratliff. The new season will premiere on November 12, with episodes airing weekly on Wednesdays through mid-January, except for a short holiday break. Bonus episodes are planned for later in the season.
The first season of “Shell Game” examined synthetic media by cloning Ratliff’s voice and exploring its effects. Season two expands on this concept by documenting an experiment where Ratliff creates a company managed almost entirely by AI agents, including an AI CEO.
Evan Ratliff explained his motivation: “The AI industry is pushing AI agent employees as the future of work. I wanted to know how close we are to that reality, and what it would really look like,” said Evan Ratliff, Host of Shell Game. “One thing I’ve learned in my decades as a journalist is that sometimes the best way to answer those kinds of questions is to fully immerse yourself. So that’s what you’ll hear me doing in Season 2.”
Mangesh Hattikudur, Co-founder of Kaleidoscope, described the show’s approach: “There’s no question that AI is changing everything from how we work, to how we connect, to even how we define what’s real,” said Mangesh Hattikudur, Co-founder of Kaleidoscope. “At Kaleidoscope, we use the world’s most gripping stories as a prism for exploring the ways technology is reshaping society right now. I’m a huge fan of Evan’s, and it feels like such a win to have Shell Game and his charming adventures in AI entrepreneurialism, serialized on our network.”
Oz Woloshyn, also Co-founder at Kaleidoscope, commented on the podcast’s style: “Season two is a mind-bending showcase of investigative journalism,” said Oz Woloshyn, Co-founder of Kaleidoscope. “It perfectly captures what Kaleidoscope strives to do: use storytelling to make sense of the biggest transformations in science and technology. Evan dives into what happens when humans and AI try to work side by side, and what it reveals about creativity, identity, and what makes us human.”
Over eight episodes, “Shell Game” explores creating and operating an AI-run company while examining broader questions about artificial intelligence’s impact on employment and identity. The series uses interviews and experiments to investigate these issues.
“Shell Game” has previously been recognized as one of 2024’s top podcasts by outlets such as Apple Podcasts, The Atlantic, The Guardian, Vulture, The Information, and The Economist.
The podcast is distributed by iHeartPodcasts and can be accessed via the iHeartRadio app or other major platforms.
Kaleidoscope was founded in 2022 by Oz Woloshyn and Mangesh Hattikudur. It produces several popular science-technology podcasts reaching millions each month through its network at www.k-scope.com.
