“Hard Fork” is a show about the future that’s already here. Each week, journalists Kevin Roose and Casey Newton explore and make sense of the latest in the rapidly changing world of tech.
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This episode dives into Google's antitrust battles, exploring potential remedies and their impact on the web. It also features a discussion with Mark Yarm about the resurgence of seasteading, examining the motivations and challenges of building floating communities. The hosts then delve into tool time, reviewing new AI software like O3, Tana, and Super Whisper, offering insights into productivity and AI advancements.
This episode of Hard Fork covers Meta's antitrust trial, examining the arguments, key testimonies, and potential outcomes. It also features Arvind Narayanan discussing why AI's societal transformation may take decades, challenging the fast-takeoff scenarios. Finally, the hosts play HatGPT, riffing on tech headlines including the Secretary of Education's interesting pronunciation of AI.
This episode explores the impact of Trump's tariffs on tech companies like Apple, Nintendo, Meta, and TikTok, examining their strategies to navigate this new chaotic environment. It also features AI researcher Daniel Kokotajlo, who discusses his AI 2027 report, forecasting AI's transformative potential and potential dystopian outcomes. Finally, the hosts discuss Meta's AI benchmark controversy, questioning the integrity of AI evaluations.
This episode dives into Trump's new tariffs and their impact on the tech sector, AI development, and global trade. It also features an interview with Keech Hagee, author of a new book on Sam Altman and OpenAI, discussing the real reasons behind Altman's brief firing. Finally, the hosts test Tinder's new AI-powered flirting game, exploring its potential and limitations in enhancing social skills.
This episode of Hard Fork explores the SignalGate scandal involving the Trump administration's use of Signal for sensitive communications, features an interview with Dwarkesh Patel about his book "The Scaling Era" and the future of AI, and includes listener takes on whether AI is affecting critical thinking skills. Discussions cover the security risks of using commercial apps for government business and the potential benefits and drawbacks of AI advancements.
Kevin and Casey discuss AI action plans from tech companies and a tool that helps coders cheat in job interviews. They analyze the implications of AI development, ethical considerations, and the evolving landscape of tech hiring. The episode also dives into the Hot Mess Express segment, covering Solana's controversial ad, anxious AI algorithms, and a corporate espionage scandal involving HR software companies.
This episode of Hard Fork explores Apple's struggles with AI implementation, the global dominance of Elon Musk's Starlink, and a thought-provoking study on whether AI is eroding critical thinking skills. The hosts discuss Apple's delayed Siri update, Starlink's influence in global internet access and government contracts, and the potential impact of AI on cognitive abilities in the workplace and beyond. Listeners are encouraged to share their experiences with AI and critical thinking.
This episode explores Google's new AI-powered search mode and its potential impact on the internet, traffic to publishers, and user behavior. The hosts then discuss President Trump's proposal for a strategic crypto reserve, its implications, and the potential conflicts of interest involved. Finally, they share listener stories about building their own AI-powered tools through vibe coding.
Dario Amodei, Anthropic's CEO, discusses Claude 3.7, AI safety, and the AI arms race with China, offering insights into the future of AI and its potential societal impacts. He also touches upon the challenges of risk mitigation and the need for nuanced conversations in the face of rapid technological advancements. They close with the popular segment, Hat GPT.
This week, Elon Musk brought a new chatbot into the crowded A.I. universe — Grok 3, the latest model from his company xAI. We break down how it compares with other leading models and what it reveals about Musk’s larger ambitions. Then, Vlad Tenev, the chief executive of the investing platform Robinhood, lays out his vision for the future of investing and fields some difficult questions about his company’s role in fueling a culture of risky financial speculation. Finally, Kevin revisits his high ...
Kevin reports back from the A.I. Action Summit in Paris, where it was full speed ahead toward artificial general intelligence, with a conspicuous lack of action on the safety front. Also, Happy Valentine’s Day! We’re taking a look at A.I. on dating apps. First, our producer Rachel Cohn explains what happened when she applied all of the advice from Hinge’s new Prompt Feedback tool to her dating profile. Then, we’re joined by Hinge’s founder and C.E.O., Justin McLeod, to discuss how he thinks A.I....
This week, we’re joined by the Times reporter Jonathan Swan to discuss Elon Musk’s tech takeover of Washington, D.C. Then, Liz Pelly, author of a new book about Spotify, stops by to discuss “ghost musicians” and how Spotify’s algorithms are reshaping music culture. And finally — it’s Tool Time! We’ll tell you all about the new A.I. tools we’re using, plus the one that we wish existed. Guests: Jonathan Swan , a White House reporter for The New York Times Liz Pelly , author of “Mood Machine: The R...
This week we go even deeper on DeepSeek. ChinaTalk's Jordan Schneider joins us to explain the Chinese A.I. industry and to break down the reaction inside of China to DeepSeek’s sudden success. Then … hello, Operator! We put OpenAI’s new agent software to the test. And finally, all aboard for another ride on the Hot Mess Express! Guest: Jordan Schneider , founder and editor in chief of ChinaTalk Additional Reading: Why DeepSeek Could Change What Silicon Valley Believes About A.I. OpenAI launches ...
A Chinese firm called DeepSeek managed to upend global markets at the start of the week, to drag down chipmaker Nvidia — and to surge to No. 1 in the iPhone app store, all in basically no time at all. Today, in this bonus episode, we talk through the news behind the freakout. How is a new A.I. model from one Chinese A.I. company making such a big splash? And what does it mean for the U.S. artificial intelligence industry? We want to hear from you. Email us at [email protected] . Find “Hard Fo...
This week, TikTok died, came back to life — and now exists in a kind of limbo state. We break down what that may signal for how tech does business with the new Trump administration. Then we pump up the fun with memecoins and explore how the Trump family is cashing in. And finally, MSNBC’s Chris Hayes joins us to discuss his new book about attention. Guest: Chris Hayes , Host of MSNBC's "All In With Chris Hayes" and author of “The Sirens’ Call” Additional Reading: TikTok Comes Back From the Dead ...
The deadline for TikTok to sell or to face a ban is fast approaching. We discuss how Supreme Court justices — who opted on Friday to uphold the law — reacted to arguments in the case, whether the Chinese government might allow Elon Musk to buy the app, and why self-proclaimed TikTok refugees are rushing to a different Chinese app, called RedNote. Then, we talk with an A.I. industry insider about what we actually know about how bad artificial intelligence is for the environment. And finally, afte...
This week, Meta announced a series of content moderation changes that will transform the way the social media company’s platforms deal with misinformation and hate speech. We break down what these changes will mean for users and why the company seems to be caving to the right’s arguments on censorship. Then, we’ll explain why 2025 is already shaping up to be a huge year in A.I. — with models like OpenAI’s o3, Google’s Gemini 2.0 and DeepSeek, from China, stirring discussion that superintelligenc...
This week, it’s our yearly tech predictions. We’ll review what we got right and wrong about 2024, and tell you what we think is going to happen in 2025. Then we’ll discuss how we want to interact with tech in the new year. Plus, we’ll answer some of your listener questions. We want to hear from you. Email us at [email protected] . Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube and TikTok . Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytim...
Happy Holidays, everybody! We are off this week, but we wanted to bring you a recent episode from another New York Times podcast: The Wirecutter Show. It’s called “Kitchen Gear That Lasts a Lifetime (or Extremely Close)” and features Michael Sullivan, one of the senior staff writers on Wirecutter’s kitchen team. Michael walks through tips and tricks for finding kitchen gear that will last, what’s worth spending money on, what you can buy used and how to make cast iron last a lifetime. We want to...
This week, we took a field trip to the Phoenix suburbs to see Amazon’s newest iteration of drone delivery service in action. We toured the facility where these drones are in operation, spoke with the vice president and general manager of Prime Air, David Carbon, and watched from a local backyard as our own order dropped from the sky. Guest: David Carbon, vice president and general manager of Amazon Prime Air. We want to hear from you. Email us at [email protected] . Find “Hard Fork” on YouTub...
Last Friday, a panel of federal judges denied TikTok’s petition to overturn the law that could force the ban of the app in the United States. We walk through the judges reasoning and explain why TikTok’s First Amendment argument was unsuccessful. Then, Julian Kelly, the director of quantum hardware at Google Quantum AI, explains how close we are to quantum computers that can solve practical problems. Finally, we talk about a new sentiment sweeping Silicon Valley: affection for the chatbot Claude...
This week, Pat Gelsinger stepped down as chief executive of Intel. We talk with The New York Times’s Don Clark about why Gelsinger was ousted, what it means for the chip industry and how his departure could affect national security. Then, Kevin and Casey report back from an artificial intelligence conference, where experts debated how long it would take to build a structure around the sun to capture the star’s energy — also known as a Dyson sphere. And finally, gift guides have taken over the in...
This week, we’re bringing you a Thanksgiving special that’s great for a long car ride, a day of cooking or avoiding conversation with your family. We’re counting down the 100 most iconic technologies of all time, starting with No. 100: Boats. Our definitive list was carefully crafted using an advanced methodology of vibes-only decision-making. By “iconic,” we mean technologies that have either changed the world, ruined it or at the very least made life a little more interesting. And because we l...
This week, President-elect Donald Trump picked Brendan Carr to be the next chairman of the F.C.C. We talk with The Verge’s editor in chief, Nilay Patel, about what this could mean for the future of the internet, and for free speech at large. Then, a new study found that ChatGPT defeated doctors at diagnosing some diseases. One of the study’s authors, Dr. Adam Rodman, joins us to discuss the future of medicine. And finally, court is back in session. It’s time for the Hard Fork Crimes Division. On...
This week, we explore how the 2024 election paved the way for a new crypto-friendly Congress and what that means for the future of crypto. Then, for ChatGPT’s second birthday, Nick Turley, ChatGPT head of product at OpenAI, stops by to tell us where it goes from here and share some of his favorite chatbot hacks. Finally, a listener emailed us last week asking what social network he should be using in 2024. We’ll share our thoughts on which text-based platforms are the least annoying. One more th...
As of this week, we have a new president-elect. We discuss how the incoming administration’s approach to technology will affect Elon Musk, a TikTok ban, Big Tech’s antitrust challenges and the speed of A.I. progress. Then, Kashmir Hill, a technology reporter for The Times, joins to discuss her weeklong experiment of letting A.I. make every decision in her life. And finally, we play a round of election-free HatGPT! Guest: Kashmir Hill , technology reporter for The New York Times. Additional Readi...
Last week, Jeff Bezos canceled the Washington Post editorial board’s plan to endorse Kamala Harris. Are tech billionaires hedging their bets in case Donald Trump wins? Then, Miles Brundage, a former OpenAI senior adviser on artificial general intelligence readiness, stops by to tell us how his old company is doing when it comes to being ready for superintelligence, and whether we should all keep saving for retirement. And finally, David Yaffe-Bellany, a Times technology reporter, joins us to exp...
Note: This episode contains mentions of suicide. This week, how Elon Musk became a main character in this year’s election, and what that means for the future of tech and of the country. Plus, the journalist Laurie Segall joins us to discuss the tragic case of a teenager who became obsessed with an A.I. companion bot and later died by suicide. We discuss what A.I. companies could do to make their apps safer for children. If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Sui...
This week, the A.I. company Anthropic has Silicon Valley rethinking the timeline for artificial general intelligence. In addition to releasing a new safety policy, the company’s chief executive, Dario Amodei, laid out a vision of how A.I. could help cure cancer, mental illness and mitigate climate change in the near future. We consider his most surprising claims and what this means for the acceleration of the technology. Then, the Uber chief executive, Dara Khosrowshahi, joins us in the studio t...
This week, in the wake of recent natural disasters, we dig into the rise of A.I.-generated slop that’s polluting the internet and disrupting rescue efforts. Then we talk with the investigative filmmaker Cullen Hoback about his new documentary on the history of Bitcoin and about why, after so many others have failed, he thinks he has found the real Satoshi Nakamoto. And finally, we hear the train whistle approaching, and that can only mean one thing: It’s once again time to board the Hot Mess Exp...
