Business, Spoken
2,340 episodes - English - Latest episode: 9 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
ChatGPT Can Now Talk to You—and Look Into Your Life
September 26, 2023 10:00 - 10 minutesChatGPT inches closer to feature parity with the seductive AI assistant from Her, thanks to an upgrade that adds voice and image recognition to the chatbot. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Workers Demand Job Security in the Autonomous, Electrified Future of Transport
September 25, 2023 10:00 - 10 minutesTruck drivers, auto workers, and others are fighting for the greener, smarter era of transportation to also include better pay and more protections for humans. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Meet the Law Geeks Exposing Google’s Secretive Antitrust Trial
September 22, 2023 10:00 - 11 minutesA historic antitrust trial sees Google accused of unlawfully monopolizing search. A handful of antitrust activists are trying to make sure the world sees all the action. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Amazon Upgrades Alexa for the ChatGPT Era
September 21, 2023 10:00 - 5 minutesA sweeping upgrade to Amazon’s Alexa taps AI technology like that behind ChatGPT and also allows the virtual assistant to attempt to read body language. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
TikTok Shop Has a Snail Slime Problem
September 20, 2023 10:00 - 7 minutesTikTok Shop, which launched in the US last week, is littered with impossibly cheap—and fake—products. Snail slime is just the beginning. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Pay Transparency Is Sweeping Across the US
September 19, 2023 10:00 - 7 minutesNew York joined a wave of states that require pay transparency in job ads. New data suggests most US postings now include a salary range, but they are sometimes laughably vague. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Teachers Are Going All In on Generative AI
September 18, 2023 10:00 - 11 minutesSurveys suggest teachers use generative AI more than students, to create lesson plans or more interesting word problems. Educators say it can save valuable time but must be used carefully. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
A Concrete Crisis Has the UK Literally Crumbling
September 15, 2023 10:00 - 8 minutesHundreds of schools, hospitals, and other public buildings made from RAAC, a cheap, lightweight concrete, have to close—the victims of quick fixes and decades of cost-cutting. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The iPhone 15 Opts for Intuitive AI, Not Generative AI
September 14, 2023 10:00 - 6 minutesApple ignored the tech industry's obsession with generative AI at the new iPhone launch, offering subtler AI features that make everyday tasks like photography and phone calls better. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Senators Want ChatGPT-Level AI to Require a Government License
September 13, 2023 10:00 - 7 minutesA new US government body would force companies to seek a license before working on powerful AI models like OpenAI's GPT-4, under a bipartisan proposal by senators Richard Blumenthal and Josh Hawley. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
TikTok Is Spending $1.3 Billion to Dodge Bans in Europe
September 12, 2023 10:00 - 9 minutesEuropean politicians are nervous about where TikTok’s data goes. The company is spending big on local data centers, but analysts say it’s not enough. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Why This Award-Winning Piece of AI Art Can’t Be Copyrighted
September 11, 2023 10:00 - 7 minutesMatthew Allen’s AI art won first prize at the Colorado State Fair. But the US government has ruled it can’t be copyrighted because it’s too much “machine” and not enough “human.” Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
This Is the True Scale of New York’s Airbnb Apocalypse
September 08, 2023 10:00 - 8 minutesA law meant to crack down on short-term rentals in New York City took effect Tuesday. Thousands have dropped off the map, but there are still hosts offering bookings that may break the law. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Britain Admits Defeat in Controversial Fight to Break Encryption
September 07, 2023 10:00 - 6 minutesThe UK government has admitted that the technology needed to securely scan encrypted messages sent on Signal and WhatsApp doesn’t exist, weakening its controversial Online Safety Bill. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The End of Airbnb in New York
September 06, 2023 10:00 - 10 minutesThousands of Airbnbs and other short-term rentals are expected to disappear from rental platforms as New York City begins enforcing tight restrictions. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
How to Remove Your Personal Info From Google by Using Its ‘Results About You’ Tool
September 05, 2023 10:00 - 5 minutesYou can now set up alerts for whenever your home address, phone number, and email address appears in Search. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
A Controversial Right-to-Repair Car Law Makes a Surprising U-Turn
September 04, 2023 10:00 - 6 minutesThe Biden administration has changed its mind about a Massachusetts state law giving mechanics and car owners access to more diagnostic data. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
People Are Increasingly Worried AI Will Make Daily Life Worse
September 01, 2023 10:00 - 6 minutesA Pew survey finds that a majority of Americans are more concerned than excited about the impact of artificial intelligence—adding weight to calls for more regulation. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Meet Aleph Alpha, Europe’s Answer to OpenAI
August 31, 2023 10:00 - 9 minutesThe European Union is desperate for its own artificial intelligence giant. German startup Aleph Alpha might be its best hope. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
It Costs Just $400 to Build an AI Disinformation Machine
August 30, 2023 10:00 - 7 minutesA developer used widely available AI tools to generate anti-Russian tweets and articles. The project is intended to highlight how cheap and easy it has become to create propaganda at scale. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In a World of Fakes, Trump’s Real Mug Shot Matters
August 29, 2023 10:00 - 6 minutesThe first booking photo of a US president stands out among a sea of photoshops and AI-generated images online. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Meta Just Released a Coding Version of Llama 2
August 28, 2023 10:00 - 6 minutesCode Llama may spur a new wave of experimentation around AI and programming—but it will also help Meta. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
How AI Could Transform Email
August 25, 2023 10:00 - 8 minutesArtificial intelligence may streamline a form of business communication that’s already super fake. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Kids Are Going Back to School. So Is ChatGPT
August 24, 2023 10:00 - 10 minutesTeachers are caught between cracking down on cheating with generative AI and using it to help empower students. It’s going to be a challenging year. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
25 Years Ago Steve Jobs Launched the First iMac—and the Strategy That Saved Apple
August 23, 2023 10:00 - 8 minutesThe curvy translucent plastic design of the iMac was the test case for Steve Jobs' “whole-widget” strategy that led to the creation of the iPhone. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Scammers Used ChatGPT to Unleash a Crypto Botnet on X
August 22, 2023 10:00 - 7 minutesA botnet apparently connected to ChatGPT shows how easily, and effectively, artificial intelligence can be harnessed for disinformation. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
This Showdown Between Humans and Chatbots Could Keep You Safe From Bad AI
August 21, 2023 10:00 - 9 minutesThousands of security experts, hackers, and college students competed to trick powerful text-generation systems into revealing their dark sides at the Defcon hacker conference in Las Vegas. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
A Letter Prompted Talk of AI Doomsday. Many Who Signed Weren't Actually AI Doomers
August 18, 2023 10:00 - 6 minutesIn March a viral letter called for a pause on AI development, warning that algorithms could outsmart humanity—but many experts who signed on did not believe the technology poses an existential risk. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
YouTube Music Adds a TikTok-Like Video Feed to Attract Gen Z
August 17, 2023 10:00 - 5 minutesGregor Dodson, a director of product management, shares why Samples is the music streaming app's newest video feature. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
This Psychologist Wants To Vaccinate You Against Fake News
August 16, 2023 10:00 - 6 minutesControlled exposure to misinformation can help protect people from falling for it in the future, according to new research. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Uber and Lyft Drivers Have Some Advice for Autonomous Vehicles Set to Swarm the Streets
August 15, 2023 10:00 - 9 minutesSan Francisco ride-hail drivers are about to share the roads with robot competitors. They say that the self-driving cabs need to work on their traffic skills—and watch out for bodily fluids. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Smell Your Way Out of the Uncanny Valley
August 14, 2023 10:00 - 6 minutesIn simulated environments, smell is often the neglected sense. Scentient’s wearable device aims to bring a whiff of authenticity to virtual reality. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Generative AI Is Making Companies Even More Thirsty for Your Data
August 11, 2023 10:00 - 6 minutesThe outcry over Zoom's tweak to its data policy shows how the race to build more powerful AI models creates new pressure to source training data—including by juicing it from users. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
This AI Company Releases Deepfakes Into the Wild. Can It Control Them?
August 10, 2023 10:00 - 11 minutesUK unicorn Synthesia offers clients a menu of digital avatars, from suited execs to Santa Claus. But it has struggled to stop them being used to spread misinformation. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Ghost of Privacy Past Haunts the Senate’s AI Future
August 09, 2023 10:00 - 9 minutesThe US Congress is trying to tame the rapid rise of artificial intelligence. But senators’ failure to tackle privacy reform is making the task a nightmare. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Microsoft’s AI Red Team Has Already Made the Case for Itself
August 08, 2023 10:00 - 6 minutesSince 2018, a dedicated team within Microsoft has attacked machine learning systems to make them safer. But with the public release of new generative AI tools, the field is already evolving. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apps Are Rushing to Add AI. Is Any of It Useful?
August 07, 2023 10:00 - 6 minutesThe artificial intelligence gold rush has thrust services like ChatGPT into every aspect of our digital lives. That still won’t solve your email problems. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Please Stop Asking Chatbots for Love Advice
August 04, 2023 10:00 - 9 minutesWe get it, relationships are hard. But asking ChatGPT how to do emotions is not going to work. Here are some better ideas. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
WhatsApp Made a Movie About Afghan Women’s Soccer
August 03, 2023 10:00 - 9 minutesAs the UK pushes for a law that threatens end-to-end encryption, WhatsApp has given itself a starring role in a doc about a girls’ soccer team fleeing the Taliban. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
This Disinformation Is Just for You
August 02, 2023 10:00 - 7 minutesGenerative AI won't just flood the internet with more lies—it may also create convincing disinformation that’s targeted at groups or even individuals. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
This Is the Era of Zombie Twitter
August 01, 2023 10:00 - 7 minutesThe bird may be dead, but Twitter—er, X—is still alive for communities, news, and memes. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Meta’s Election Research Opens More Questions Than It Answers
July 31, 2023 10:00 - 6 minutesResearchers were given unprecedented access to Meta’s data during the 2020 elections. Meta says their results show its platforms don’t cause political polarization. That’s not entirely true. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Meta Just Proved People Hate Chronological Feeds
July 28, 2023 10:00 - 9 minutesSome social media users and lawmakers say chronological feeds are healthier. A new study found that Facebook and Instagram users who were forced to see time-ranked posts turned to TikTok instead. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Meta’s Open Source Llama Upsets the AI Horse Race
July 27, 2023 10:00 - 8 minutesMeta is giving its answer to OpenAI’s GPT-4 away for free. The move could intensify the generative AI boom by making it easier for entrepreneurs to build powerful new AI systems. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
5 Ways ChatGPT Can Improve, Not Replace, Your Writing
July 26, 2023 10:00 - 7 minutesGenerate your own text—but get help from the AI bot to make it stand out. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
X Isn’t a Super App. It’s Just Twitter
July 25, 2023 10:00 - 10 minutesTwitter’s rebrand to X is both a bad joke and an attempt by Elon Musk to realize his decades-long ambition for an all-conquering super app. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
AI Giants Pledge to Allow External Probes of Their Algorithms, Under a New White House Pact
July 24, 2023 10:00 - 6 minutesLeading AI developers including Google and OpenAI promised the Biden administration to check for problems such as biased output. The agreement is not legally binding. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
A Battlefield AI Company Says It’s One of the Good Guys
July 21, 2023 10:00 - 12 minutesHelsing AI is building an operating system for warfare and says it’ll only ever sell to democracies. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Threads Is the New Cool Hangout—for Brands
July 20, 2023 10:00 - 8 minutesWith big names like Wendy’s and Netflix, brand-on-brand chatter is shaping Meta’s new social media app. That could leave little room for people. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Meta’s Threads Could Make—or Break—the Fediverse
July 19, 2023 10:00 - 11 minutesMeta promised to make Threads compatible with the decentralized protocol underlying Mastodon. Proponents of interoperable social media can’t agree whether to welcome or fear it. Read this story here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices