A world overrun by AI agents w/Evan Ratliff

Hi, it’s Charley, and this is Untangled, a newsletter about technology, people, and power. Today, I’m sharing my conversation with Evan Ratliff, journalist and host of Shell Game, a funny and provocative new podcast about “things that are not what they seem.” Evan cloned his voice, hitched it to an AI agent, and then put it in conversation with scammers and spammers, a therapist, work colleagues, and even his friends and family. Shell Game helps listeners see a li’l farther into a future overrun with AI agents, and I wanted to speak with Evan about his experience of this future.

In our conversation, we discuss:

* The hilarity that ensues when Evan’s AI agent engages with scammers and spammers, and the quirks and limitations of these tools.

* The harrowing experience of listening to your AI agent make stuff up about you in therapy.

* How those building these tools view the problem(s) they’re solving.

* What it’s like to send your AI agent to work meetings in you place.

* The work required to maintain these tools and make their outputs useful — does it actually help you save time and be more productive??

* The lingering uncertainty these tools culitvated through its interactions with Evan’s family and friends.

If you find the conversation interesting, share it with a friend.

Okay, that’s it for now,

Charley

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