Business, Spoken - podcast cover

Business, Spoken

WIREDplay.prx.org

Get 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

Maybe It’s Not YouTube’s Algorithm That Radicalizes People

YouTube is the biggest social media platform in the country, and, perhaps, the most misunderstood. Over the past few years, the Google-owned platform has become a media powerhouse where political discussion is dominated by right-wing channels offering an ideological alternative to established news outlets. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Oct 24, 20199 min

IBM Says Google’s Quantum Leap Was a Quantum Flop

Technical quarrels between quantum computing experts rarely escape the field’s rarified community. Late Monday, though, IBM’s quantum team picked a highly public fight with Google. In a technical paper and blogpost, IBM took aim at potentially history-making scientific results accidentally leaked from a collaboration between Google and NASA last month. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Oct 23, 20196 min

Angry Nerd: Enough With Technology That ‘Democratizes’ Things!

The operations overlords of WIRED make me use Airtable. It's a hip workflow tracker, with pretty color coding and copious tabs and a “robust” API that syncs with Slack. It's also, apparently, a superhero. The Captain America of spreadsheets. Airtable isn't just a shinier version of Excel—it's on a self-professed mission to “democratize software creation by enabling anyone to build tools that meet their needs. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices...

Oct 23, 20193 min

Most Deepfakes Are Porn, and They're Multiplying Fast

In November 2017, a Reddit account called deepfakes posted pornographic clips made with software that pasted the faces of Hollywood actresses over those of the real performers. Nearly two years later, deepfake is a generic noun for video manipulated or fabricated with artificial intelligence software. The technique has drawn laughs on YouTube, along with concern from lawmakers fearful of political disinformation. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices...

Oct 22, 20196 min

These Startups Are Building Tools to Keep an Eye on AI

In January, Liz O’Sullivan wrote a letter to her boss at artificial intelligence startup Clarifai, asking him to set ethical limits on its Pentagon contracts. WIRED had previously revealed that the company worked on a controversial project processing drone imagery. O’Sullivan urged CEO Matthew Zeiler to pledge the company would not contribute to the development of weapons that decide for themselves whom to harm or kill. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices...

Oct 22, 20198 min

At an Outback Steakhouse Franchise, Surveillance Blooms

As casual dining chains have declined in popularity, many have experimented with surveillance technology designed to maximize employee efficiency and performance. Earlier this week, one Outback Steakhouse franchise announced it would begin testing such a tool, a computer vision program called Presto Vision, at a single outpost in the Portland, Oregon area. Your Bloomin' Onion now comes with a side of Big Brother. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices...

Oct 21, 20197 min

An AI Pioneer Wants His Algorithms to Understand the 'Why'

In March, Yoshua Bengio received a share of the Turing Award, the highest accolade in computer science, for contributions to the development of deep learning—the technique that triggered a renaissance in artificial intelligence, leading to advances in self-driving cars, real-time speech translation, and facial recognition. Now, Bengio says deep learning needs to be fixed. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Oct 21, 20198 min

We All Could Pay a Price for the Latest Slap at Huawei

An international cybersecurity group has evicted the Chinese telecom company to comply with US sanctions. That could allow malware to spread more easily. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Sep 25, 20194 min

States Are Turning Up the Heat on Google and Facebook

State attorneys general revealed investigations into possible anticompetitive behavior by tech giants, adding to probes by Congress and federal agencies. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Sep 12, 20194 min

Poll Finds Americans Trust Police Use of Facial Recognition

The Pew Research Center reports 56% of Americans trust law enforcement to use the technology responsibly, despite concerns over fairness, and bans in some cities. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Sep 06, 20197 min

Airbnb Starts to Play Nice With Cities

The short-term rental startup has settled lawsuits with Boston and Miami, agreeing to turn over data officials say they need to police the industry. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Sep 03, 20194 min

An Old Instagram Hoax Fools a Bunch of Celebrities

Instagram users like Usher, Martha Stewart, and Rick Perry posted a meme warning about a new rule that doesn't actually exist. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Aug 23, 20193 min
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