Business, Spoken
2,340 episodes - English - Latest episode: 10 days ago - ★★★★ - 16 ratingsGet in-depth coverage of current and future trends in technology, and how they are shaping business, entertainment, communications, science, politics, and society.
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Episodes
Covid Is Pushing Some Mass Transit Systems to the Brink
July 27, 2020 06:10 - 6 minutesRiders are skittish. Cleaning costs are soaring. Some, like the Bay Area's Caltrain system, face an existential crisis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
This Algorithm Doesn't Replace Doctors—It Makes Them Better
July 24, 2020 06:10 - 8 minutesAn artificial intelligence system has outperformed physicians when detecting skin lesions. The results are changing how one school trains dermatologists. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
An Ethics Guide for Tech Gets Rewritten With Workers in Mind
July 23, 2020 06:10 - 8 minutesThe Ethical Explorer Pack is designed to help Silicon Valley's rank and file—not just CEOs—steer products away from harmful directions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
This Drone Maker Is Swooping In Amid US Pushback Against DJI
July 22, 2020 06:10 - 10 minutesSkydio is best known for “selfie drones.” Now, it's seeking government contracts, as American officials shun the Chinese drone company. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Prepare for Artificial Intelligence to Produce Less Wizardry
July 21, 2020 06:10 - 8 minutesA new paper argues that the computing demands of deep learning are so great that progress on tasks like translation and self-driving is likely to slow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Massachusetts Launches Uber and Lyft's Latest Legal Headache
July 20, 2020 06:10 - 5 minutesThe state sued the ride-hail companies for misclassifying drivers as contractors, following a similar move by California officials. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Intersection Between Self-Driving Cars and Electric Cars
July 17, 2020 06:10 - 7 minutesNew research suggests that the tradeoffs for electric autonomous vehicles aren’t as painful as once thought, though early AVs might be gas hybrids. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Where Are the Adults in the Clubhouse?
July 16, 2020 06:10 - 11 minutesPlus: A tough review of IBM’s PCjr, fresh questions on Covid-19, and government help for the self-sufficient. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
An Algorithm Set Students’ Grades—and Altered Their Futures
July 15, 2020 06:10 - 10 minutesThe International Baccalaureate program canceled its high-stakes exam because of Covid-19. The formula it used to "predict" scores puzzles students and teachers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Is It Game Streaming's Turn for a Labor Revolution?
July 14, 2020 06:10 - 13 minutesAfter the demise of Mixer, livestreamers are taking a closer look at what their platform partnerships should look like. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Uber Moves Stealthily to Gain Allies in a Fight With Cities
July 13, 2020 06:10 - 10 minutesNonprofits and advocacy groups signed on to an organization called Communities Against Rider Surveillance—without knowing that the ride-hail giant was involved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Covid Drives Real Businesses to Tap Deepfake Technology
July 10, 2020 06:10 - 11 minutesCoronavirus restrictions make it harder and more expensive to shoot videos. So some companies are turning to synthetic media instead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Self-Driving Tech Is Becoming a Game of Partnerships
July 09, 2020 06:10 - 6 minutesMaking an autonomous vehicle is proving harder and costlier than many startups predicted. So they're teaming up with giants like Hyundai, Jaguar, and Ford. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Seattle's Uber and Lyft Drivers Make $23.25 an Hour—or $9.73
July 08, 2020 06:10 - 9 minutesTwo studies reach very different conclusions about ride-hail earnings, as city officials consider setting a minimum wage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In These Factories, Inspector Robot Will Check Your Work
July 07, 2020 06:10 - 7 minutesArtificially intelligent camera systems look for defects and misplaced parts in many industries. The coronavirus pandemic makes them extra useful. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
5G Was Going to Unite the World—Instead It's Tearing Us Apart
July 06, 2020 06:10 - 9 minutesDivisions over technical standards and the role of China's Huawei are jeopardizing the rollout of superfast connections. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
An Ohio City's Campaign Got More People to Buy Electric Cars
July 03, 2020 06:10 - 5 minutesIn just three years, Columbus managed to exceed its goal of more than 3,200 new BEVs and plug-in hybrids . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
A New Card Ties Your Credit to Your Social Media Stats
July 02, 2020 06:10 - 8 minutesFounded by Instagram and finance alums, Karat wants to be the black card in every influencer’s wallet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
European Football Clubs Are Turning to AI for an Assist
July 01, 2020 06:56 - 6 minutesSoftware company Acronis has been storing the data of the best and brightest teams. Now, it wants to use that to help them win games. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
How ‘Sustainable’ Web Design Can Help Fight Climate Change
June 30, 2020 06:10 - 6 minutesTo cut the carbon, programmers are cutting the code. Call it green programming. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
A Survey of New Cars Finds More Tech Means More Problems
June 29, 2020 06:10 - 6 minutesUS carmakers fare well in JD Power's annual survey of new vehicle owners. Tesla gets poor grades on a small sample. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Baidu Breaks Off an AI Alliance Amid Strained US-China Ties
June 26, 2020 06:10 - 8 minutesThe search giant was the only Chinese member of the Partnership on Artificial Intelligence, a US-led effort to foster collaboration on ethical issues. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Therapist Is In—and It's a Chatbot App
June 25, 2020 06:10 - 10 minutesCompanies rush to offer digital help for psychiatric disorders, after the FDA relaxes its rules amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apple Threatens to Move Basecamp's New Email App to Trash
June 24, 2020 06:10 - 9 minutesScrutiny of Apple’s App Store policies heats up as the company heads into its annual software conference. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
A Bill in Congress Would Limit Uses of Facial Recognition
June 23, 2020 06:10 - 8 minutesAmazon, Microsoft, and IBM say they want federal rules around the technology. Critics of the proposal, sponsored by four Democrats, say it doesn't go far enough. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
A New Air Taxi Model Takes Design Cues From a Far-Flying Bird
June 22, 2020 06:10 - 8 minutesBeta Technologies' Alia, which debuted Friday, draws inspiration from the ultra-efficient Arctic tern. The craft may one day transport organs for transplants. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Pandemic Is Propelling a New Wave of Automation
June 19, 2020 06:10 - 8 minutesSoftware programs adopted during the Covid-19 crisis make it easier to complete forms and track requests. It saves work, but could cost jobs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
As Cities Reopen, Expect to Wait in Lots of Lines
June 18, 2020 06:10 - 7 minutesCapacity limits and social distancing requirements prompt businesses to count how many people are inside—and force some to wait outside. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Deepfakes Aren't Very Good. Nor Are the Tools to Detect Them
June 17, 2020 06:10 - 7 minutesThe winning detection algorithm from a Facebook-led challenge could spot about two-thirds of the altered videos, highlighting the need for improvement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
OpenAI's Text Generator Is Going Commercial
June 16, 2020 06:10 - 10 minutesThe research institute was created to steer AI away from harmful uses. Now it's competing with tech giants to sell a cloud computing service to businesses. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Twitter's Newest Trick Relies on Tracking More of Your Clicks
June 15, 2020 06:15 - 3 minutesThe social media company is testing warnings for users who try to share links to articles they haven't read. To do that, it has to know what you've read. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
IBM's Withdrawal Won't Mean the End of Facial Recognition
June 12, 2020 06:10 - 8 minutesTo some in the tech industry, facial recognition increasingly looks like toxic technology. To law enforcement, it’s an almost irresistible crime-fighting tool.IBM is the latest company to declare facial recognition too troubling. CEO Arvind Krishna told members of Congress Monday that IBM would no longer offer the technology, citing the potential for racial profiling and human rights abuse. In a letter, Krishna also called for police reforms aimed at increasing scrutiny and accountability for...
Zynn, the Hot New Video App, Is Full of Stolen Content
June 11, 2020 06:10 - 9 minutesLate last month, a mysterious new video app called Zynn began appearing at the top of app store charts, beating out household names like Instagram and YouTube. Zynn is a near identical copy of TikTok, and both apps are the product of Chinese tech giants. The biggest difference is that Zynn, in an effort to attract new users, is currently paying people in the United States and Canada small sums to watch videos and invite their friends to join. The tactic has seemed to work: Zynn has already be...
Covid-19 Opens the Door for Gig Workers to Win Sick Pay
June 10, 2020 06:10 - 7 minutesUber, Lyft, and others have agreed to pay people who've missed work because of the virus. Seattle is on the cusp of making it law in that city. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
As Businesses Reopen, Some Workers Fear Returning
June 09, 2020 06:10 - 10 minutesEmployees who decline to work amid the pandemic could lose both their paychecks and their unemployment benefits. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Schools Turn to Surveillance Tech to Prevent Covid-19 Spread
June 08, 2020 06:10 - 8 minutesAdministrators hope tracking beacons will identify where students congregate and who should be isolated if someone contracts the coronavirus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Tech Companies Denounce Racism. Will Silicon Valley Change?
June 05, 2020 06:33 - 9 minutesThe killing of George Floyd elicited corporate outrage, and some donations. But well-intentioned rhetoric has not always been followed by meaningful action. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Trump's Tweets Force Twitter Into a High-Wire Act
June 04, 2020 06:10 - 11 minutesBy hiding but not deleting the president's tweets, the platform has struck a difficult balance to approach a nearly impossible situation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Facebook Employees Take the Rare Step to Call Out Mark Zuckerberg
June 03, 2020 06:10 - 7 minutesSome workers at the social media giant are publicly criticizing decisions not to remove or flag misleading posts by President Trump. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Remote Work Has Its Perks, Until You Want a Promotion
June 02, 2020 06:10 - 9 minutesCompanies like Facebook and Twitter expect many employees to work far from headquarters after the pandemic. That calls for a change in corporate cultures. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Everyone's Ordering Delivery, but Apps Aren't Making Money
June 01, 2020 06:10 - 9 minutesWith dining rooms closed, more people are using Uber Eats, Grubhub, and DoorDash. But the services face a challenge to satisfy both consumers and restaurants. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
It's Called Artificial Intelligence—but What Is Intelligence?
May 29, 2020 06:10 - 6 minutesWe’ve built machines that are capable of incredible feats, yet still they have nothing on a baby. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Are AI-Powered Killer Robots Inevitable?
May 28, 2020 06:10 - 7 minutesMilitary scholars warn of a “battlefield singularity,” a point at which humans can no longer keep up with the pace of conflict. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
As Machines Get Smarter, How Will We Relate to Them?
May 27, 2020 06:10 - 6 minutesMillennia of evolution have left us ill prepared to crack open the black box of AI and peer inside. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
On Earth, the Economy Is Tanking. In the Cloud, It's Fine
May 26, 2020 06:10 - 6 minutesAmid the pandemic, life has moved online. That's good news for the tech giants that run data centers, and the companies that supply them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Is the Brain a Useful Model for Artificial Intelligence?
May 25, 2020 06:10 - 7 minutesThinking machines think just like us—but only up to a point. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
This AI Maestro Wants to Serenade You
May 22, 2020 06:10 - 15 minutesA composer and the co-creator of Siri are trying to create background music that responds to the listener's feelings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Why Didn't Artificial Intelligence Save Us From Covid-19?
May 21, 2020 06:18 - 6 minutesThe key to good AI is solid data, and that’s been tough to come by in a global health crisis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Buying Giphy Gives Facebook a New Window Into Its Rivals
May 20, 2020 06:10 - 7 minutesThe social media giant acquires another rich source of data, this time in the form of the internet’s favorite GIF library. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Here’s What an Antitrust Case Against Google Might Look Like
May 19, 2020 06:10 - 11 minutesTwo DOJ veterans lay out a roadmap for cracking down on the company’s digital advertising juggernaut. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices