Episode 6: Ben Relles (Make Believe) — What Happens When Stories Talk Back?

What happens when stories stop being something we watch — and start becoming something we talk to? Nolan's guest today is Ben Relles, founder of Make Believe. Before launching Make Believe, Ben helped shape internet culture through viral video, co-founding Vsauce, and leading innovation at YouTube. Now he’s exploring a new idea: entertainment that responds to you. They talked about entertainment formats that only AI makes possible, and how his team built Reid AI — a digital version of LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman.Then they tried something that has never been done before on Raised by Robots: they brought Reid AI onto the show and interviewed it live. That led into a bigger conversation about whether personalized stories strengthen or weaken shared culture, what recreating a person with AI reveals about being human, and whether one day most of us will want AI versions of ourselves. They covered:Entertainment formats impossible before AIHow Reid AI was builtInterviewing an AI guest liveCan you tell human from AI?Personalized stories vs shared cultureWhat AI reveals about being humanWill we want AI versions of ourselves?Because maybe the future of entertainment isn’t about watching stories. Maybe it’s about talking to them.