Shylock.ai

Shylock.ai makes your friends pay you back — with unsettlingly elegant AI powered phone calls.

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Inspiration

We've all been there - that awkward moment when a friend "forgets" they owe you money. Traditional debt collection is either too aggressive or too passive. I wanted to create something that bridges the gap: theatrical, persistent, but relationship-preserving. Inspired by Shakespeare's Shylock, I built an AI agent that turns debt collection into an art form.

What it does

Shylock.ai automates debt collection through AI-powered voice calls with theatrical flair. Users input debt details, and our system generates personalized scripts using DeepSeek V3, then places calls using ElevenLabs voice synthesis and Retell AI with telephony by Twilio. The AI won't hang up until there's resolution, but does so with cultural awareness and persuasive charm rather than aggression.

Key Features:

  • 🎭 Fully Customizable Theatrical Persona - The Poet, Merchant, Storyteller, Philosopher etc all fully controllable via our inbuilt tone sliders.
  • 🤖 AI-Generated Scripts - Personalized dialogue tailored to each situation depending on lender input
  • 📞 Persistent Calling - Professional calls that continue forever until resolved and the callee pays up.
  • ⚖️ Ethically Compliant - Legally sound, relationship-preserving approach (Friendship sold seperately)

How we built it

Frontend: Bolt.new (React + TypeScript + Vite, styled with Tailwind CSS, shadcn) deployed on Netlify

Backend Automation: Serverless pipeline using Make.com:

  1. Form submission triggers webhook
  2. DeepSeek V3 (via Nebius AI Studio) generates personalized scripts
  3. Retell AI + ElevenLabs synthesizes voice and Retell AI places the call
  4. System tracks outcomes and provides feedback

Voice Technology: ElevenLabs for natural voice synthesis, Retell AI for call management

Challenges I ran into

  • Voice Quality: Achieving theatrical, persuasive tones while maintaining naturalness required extensive prompt engineering
  • Cultural Sensitivity: Balancing persistence with cultural appropriateness
  • Legal Compliance: Ensuring all calls remain within legal boundaries while being effectively persistent
  • Integration Complexity: Coordinating multiple APIs (Make.com, DeepSeek, ElevenLabs, Retell) in a seamless workflow

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Created a fully functional debt collection automation that actually works
  • Achieved natural-sounding theatrical voices that are persuasive yet respectful
  • Built a scalable serverless architecture that can handle global deployment
  • Developed culturally-aware AI that adapts to different languages and customs
  • Maintained legal compliance while creating an effective solution

What I learned

  • Voice AI has incredible potential for automating sensitive conversations
  • Cultural nuance is crucial for global applications
  • Serverless automation can handle complex multi-step workflows effectively
  • The line between persistence and harassment requires careful calibration
  • Theatrical presentation can make uncomfortable topics more palatable
  • Keeping the site live and entirely functional would be extremely expensive :(

What's next for Shylock.ai

  • Mobile App with RevenueCat integration for subscription management
  • Advanced Analytics dashboard showing call success rates and patterns
  • Custom Voice Cloning allowing users to use their own voice
  • Integration APIs for businesses to automate B2B collections
  • Blockchain Integration for transparent, trustless debt tracking

NOTE ABOUT PROJECT VISIBILITY FOR THE JUDGES

I had to duplicate the bolt.new project as I set it up via a repository initially, so to prove that it does indeed work within bolt and was built with it, I had to duplicate it and change visibility as I was informed by a mentor.

Built With

  • bolt.new
  • elevenlabs
  • make.com
  • netlify
  • retellai
  • twilio
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