More examples of chatbots hallucinating might lead to the first lawsuits. Did you know that you have a copy of the bitcoin white paper on your Mac right now? You don’t know it, but you do. I’ll tell you why. Substack is the latest to launch a Twitter clone. And why E3 had to die. It’s called direct to consumer, or, I guess, gamer. Sponsors: Mimecast.com OregonState.edu Links: ChatGPT invented a sexual harassment scandal and named a real law prof as the accused (Washington Post) The Bitcoin White...
Apr 06, 2023•16 min
Sony might be developing a sort of PS Vita mark 2. Sad news of the death of a well-known silicon valley luminary. Meta says its not going to be left behind in the AI race. What happens if the kids aren’t keen on the Metaverse. And I sketch out an example of our grand theory of AI varietals. Sponsors: Bloomberg.com/careers Links: EXCLUSIVE – SONY’S NEXT PLAYSTATION HANDHELD (Insider Gaming) Bob Lee, creator of Cash App and former CTO of Square, stabbed to death (TechCrunch) Google says its AI sup...
Apr 05, 2023•19 min
We’ve said before that Elon owns Twitter, so if he decides to change the logo to a Shiba Inu, you know, why not? Apple kinda sorta bites the bullet on layoffs. What’s going on with the Apple Weather app? Do we want universities to call the use of ChatGPT plagiarism? And data on the corporate takeover of AI development. Sponsors: OregonState.edu ZocDoc.com/techmeme Links: Twitter’s new dog icon is sending dogecoin — sigh — to the moon (TechCrunch) Spotify shuts down its Clubhouse-style audio app ...
Apr 04, 2023•17 min
The blue checks went away on Twitter over the weekend. Or did they? More interesting details on those Pinduoduo app allegations. In a headline from 2019, Paris says no to e-scooters. And what does the recent move by GM say about the relationship between the car companies and the tech platforms? Sponsors: Ramp.com/techmeme This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/techmeme and get on your way to being your best self.” Links: Twitter had a very messy...
Apr 03, 2023•17 min
I can tell you E3 is officially cancelled this year, but I’m kinda thinking it might be dead for good. Bunch of stuff about Twitter and checkmarks. Italy has temporarily banned ChatGPT. Some of the signatories of that AI letter are having second thoughts. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Miro.com/podcast LInks: E3 Has Been Canceled (IGN) Elon Musk Tried to Meet With F.T.C. Chair About Twitter but Was Rebuffed (NYTimes) Japan restricts chipmaking equipment exports as i...
Mar 31, 2023•18 min
Wait, are we NOT going to see the new Apple headset at WWDC? Twitter’s new API tiers? Ads are coming to Bing Chat. Is Elon Musk guilty of laundering his grudge against OpenAI through AI concern trolling? And is TikTok creating more one hit wonders? Sponsors: Shopify.com/ride Miro.com/podcast Links: Kuo: Apple Mixed-Reality Headset May Not Appear at WWDC as Mass Production Pushed Back Yet Again (MacRumors) Twitter announces new API pricing, including a limited free tier for bots (Engadget) Micros...
Mar 30, 2023•16 min
Over 1,000 big names sign a petition urging a pause on AI development. What analysts think AI could to for or to the economy. North Korean hackers allegedly have a new trick. And did you know ByteDance has an Instagram rival? Well, it looks like they’re putting the pedal to the metal on that. Sponsors: Miro.com/podcast go.tech/tm Links: Elon Musk and top AI researchers call for pause on ‘giant AI experiments’ (The Verge) Generative AI set to affect 300mn jobs across major economies (Financial Ti...
Mar 29, 2023•16 min
I titled an episode last week “Twilight Of The Blue Checks.” Well, today is the sequel, “Rise Of The Blue Checks” cause starting April 15, you’ll have to be a blue check to appear on Twitter’s For You tab. Also: the feds go after Binance. Disney cuts its entire metaverse unit. And the UK cancels its NFT. Sponsors: Miro.com/podcast Notion.com/ride Links: Elon Musk says Twitter’s For You page will only recommend verified accounts (The Verge) The secret list of Twitter VIPs getting boosted over eve...
Mar 28, 2023•18 min
Looks like the short, sharp, SVB saga has reached the beginning of a conclusion. Twitter source code has been leaked. The doubts inside Apple about the upcoming mixed reality headset. Why has no one presented any evidence for why TikTok might need to be banned? And, again, will generative AI lead to a physical robot revolution? Sponsors: Miro.com/podcast GetSunday.com/ride for 20% off Links: First Citizens to Buy SVB After Biggest Failure Since 2008 (Bloomberg) Twitter Says Parts of Its Source C...
Mar 27, 2023•16 min
Robert from Rownd shares his most recent investor update live and in real time, so you can hear how these things go. Also, want to learn more about Rownd? From Robert: Demo site: https://demo.rownd.com . Try out Rownd! We put Rownd into a webflow site to show how easy it works! Sign in with google or email, add biometrics (if you choose), create a wallet, and get an NFT! Do you have a mobile app or eCommerce company? Reach out at robert@rownd.io or sign up at https://app.rownd.io . We offer all ...
Mar 25, 2023•25 min
Twitter is finally sunsetting its legacy verified program. OpenAI rolls out ChatGPT plugins. Do Kwan has been detained and is facing formal charges here in the US. The FTC’s “click to cancel” proposal. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Headspace.com/RIDE30DAY Links: Twitter to Revoke ‘Legacy’ Verified Badges in April, Leaving Only Paying Subscribers With Blue Check-Marks (Variety) OpenAI is massively expanding ChatGPT’s capabilities to let it browse the web and more (T...
Mar 24, 2023•18 min
Coinbase got a Wells Notice, which is not good. Hindenburg research has a new note out and is making short run on Block, which is not good. Apple might expand its sports streaming and release more things in actual theaters. And the space startup that 3d prints its own rockets. Sponsors: Thuma.co/techmeme for a $25 credit Links: Coinbase warned by SEC of potential securities charges (CNBC) SEC charges Tron founder Justin Sun, celebrities Lindsay Lohan, Jake Paul with crypto violations (CNBC) Jack...
Mar 23, 2023•17 min
Well, we’ve got Google Bard. We’ve got a new Copilot from GitHub. Bing Image Creator is rolling out. Mozilla AI launches. The low hanging fruit that is plugging AI into NPCs to make games more realistic. And at the very end, some actual non AI news! Links: Google opens early access to its ChatGPT rival Bard — here are our first impressions (The Verge) Microsoft’s GitHub to Add OpenAI Chat Functions to Coding Tool (Bloomberg) Microsoft brings OpenAI’s DALL-E image creator to the new Bing (TechCru...
Mar 22, 2023•16 min
Ahead of a major showdown in Congress this week, TikTok wants the US to know exactly how popular it is. Why ChatGPT was shut down for a while yesterday. Why Google is suspending PinDuoDuo from the play store. The AI powered doctor’s office of the future. And is Andy Jassy the David Moyes of Amazon? If you get that reference, congratulations. Down Round Podcast (Listener Ad!) Links: TikTok says it now has 150m monthly active users in the US (MusicAlly) TikTok bans deepfakes of nonpublic figures a...
Mar 21, 2023•17 min
New bots to make video from text prompts. Fending off the bots from biting your style. Falling in love with the bots. In the streaming wars, the ad supported experiments are working, and pricing power is a thing. And the startup that says it’s about to introduce humanoid bots. Real, definitional robots. Sponsors: Dot Tech Domains: Go.tech/tm Links: Generative AI’s Next Frontier Is Video (Bloomberg) Glaze protects art from prying AIs (TechCrunch) AI love: What happens when your chatbot stops lovi...
Mar 20, 2023•17 min
Amazon Kindle gets out of the magazine business. An ironically named PE firm is buying Porn Hub. Midjourney v5 is really mind blowing. And, of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions. Sponsors: RelationshipHero.com/techmeme Links: Amazon will discontinue newspaper and magazine subscriptions in September (GoodEReader) SVB Financial files for Ch. 11 bankruptcy protection, says it has $2.2B in liquidity (TechCrunch) Pornhub owner sold to Canadian private equity firm Ethical Capital (Financial Tim...
Mar 17, 2023•17 min
For the first time ever, I had to delay producing this show so I could watch and cover and AI product announcement. Let me tell you about how Microsoft is bringing GPT-4, to basically all their most famous apps with Copilot. Looks like the potential for a TikTok ban is getting really real. And why folks are suddenly turning on OpenAI. Sponsors: Overtired Podcast Links: Introducing Microsoft 365 Copilot — your copilot for work (Microsoft) Microsoft 365 gets a host of new AI-powered features (Tech...
Mar 16, 2023•18 min
GPT-4 is unveiled and it’s multimodal, and man, is everybody rushing to make use of this stuff. Alleged renders of Google's Pixel 8 Pro appear to show a mysterious new sensor. The state of the music industry in the streaming era. And Deadpool sells his phone company to another phone company. Links: OpenAI unveils GPT-4 with multimodal input and more creative and complex capabilities (Windows Central) 10 Ways GPT-4 Is Impressive but Still Flawed (NYTimes) With Evals, OpenAI hopes to crowdsource A...
Mar 15, 2023•18 min
Those expected layoffs have come to Meta. AI tools come to Google Workspace and an API for Google’s PaLM language model. Seems like things have generally worked out with this Silicon Valley Bank aftermath. Microsoft laid off its AI risk team. Layoffs at Y Combinator. And a look at the standard that’s trying to keep over the air broadcast television relevant. Sponsors: Notion.com/ride Links: Meta to cut another 10,000 jobs and cancel ‘low priority projects’ (TechCrunch) Google announces AI featur...
Mar 14, 2023•19 min
Unless it affected you, you might have missed a huge tech story this weekend. But now that depositors to Silicon Valley Bank are being made whole, is the whole crisis averted? Tim Cook is pressing ahead with the Apple headset over the objections of Apple’s design team. And the varied and complex dilemmas of this new AI reality in two, somewhat oppositional segments. Sponsors: RelationshipHero.com/techmeme ZocDoc.com/techmeme Links: SVB’s tech failings were a problem long before the bank run that...
Mar 13, 2023•20 min
Cadre.com is revolutionizing commercial real estate investing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 12, 2023•34 min
There’s really only one story right now. The troubles at Silicon Valley Bank and how it has literally everyone in the startup ecosystem worried right now. It’s a classic bank run, people. Plus, Meta is developing a Twitter clone. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Links: This just broke, FYI: Silicon Valley Bank is shut down by regulators, FDIC to protect insured deposits (CNBC) Meta is building a decentralized, text-based social network (Platformer) Weekend Longreads Suggestions...
Mar 10, 2023•19 min
Silvergate Capital is shutting down, so the crypto winter just got colder. Microsoft says the new Bing has crossed 100 million daily active users. Why TikTok is responsible for the new Spotify redesign. Can police grab your Ring camera footage without your permission, even if you’re not the target of an investigation? And looks like Stripe won’t be going public this year after all. Sponsors: Thuma.co/techmeme Links: Silvergate will liquidate bank, wind down operations (The Block) Microsoft detai...
Mar 09, 2023•18 min
Today, you might have heard about the latest Elon controversy where he criticized an employee, and then walked it all back. We’ll get into that. DuckDuckGo melds two AI tools together. A Large Visual Language Model that will help robots move around in the real world. I explain why I’m telling you about every new Generative AI advance seemingly every single day. And with Google officially announcing the date for I/O, is their headlong rush to release AI products the waking of a sleeping giant, or...
Mar 08, 2023•19 min
TikTok launches a paywall, but it’s all about the creators. Salesforce has its own generative AI product. More layoffs coming for Meta. Another autonomous driving startup bites the dust. Why Twitter broke yesterday, and new speakers from Sonos. Sponsors: This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/techmeme and get on your way to being your best self. Links: TikTok Launches ‘Series’ Feature, Which Lets Creators Sell Premium Episodes Up to 20 Minutes Each (...
Mar 07, 2023•17 min
As Microsoft begins to integrate AI into its core enterprise and productivity products, are we ready for the scamming that AI is going to be able to produce? Details on forthcoming new iMacs. A checkin on Twitter. And why does Meta seem hellbent on ignoring what most people use VR for in the first place? Sponsors: ZocDoc.com/techmeme RelationshipHero.com/techmeme Links: Microsoft’s Latest AI Assistant Is Meant for Marketers, Customer Reps and Work Apps (Bloomberg) They thought loved ones were ca...
Mar 06, 2023•17 min
Checking in on the state of the tech job market with Grupa.io. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 04, 2023•16 min
Everyone in crypto stops doing business with Silvergate. Brave search launches an AI summarizer. A look at TikTok's AI Bold Glamour filter. Maybe the Activision acquisition is going to skate through the regulators. And, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions. Sponsors: RelationshipHero.com/Techmeme Links: Silvergate Stock Drops Over 50% as Crypto Clients Flee Beleaguered Bank (CoinDesk) Brave Search launches an AI-powered summarization feature (TechCrunch) Why won’t TikTok confirm the Bold...
Mar 03, 2023•18 min
A ChatGPT API for business is here. Microsoft gives Bing those nobs and dials that I’ve been talking about. What are multimodal LLMs? New turmoil in crypto, this time around one of the big crypto friendly banks. How is it going in terms of social platforms diversifying into subscription revenue? And why the FDA has rejected Neuralink’s applications to begin human testing of brain implants. Links: OpenAI launches an API for ChatGPT, plus dedicated capacity for enterprise customers (TechCrunch) Mi...
Mar 02, 2023•20 min
Decentralized social network Bluesky launches in the iOS App Store. TikTok adds wellbeing feature for families and kids. You know about eSIMs but say hello to iSIMs. Meta's entire four-year AR/VR roadmap. And I’m still banging the drum on laptops and smartphones where you can unroll the screen for more real estate. Sponsors: RelationshipHero.com/techmeme Links: Jack Dorsey-backed Twitter alternative Bluesky hits the App Store as an invite-only app (TechCrunch) Republican Bill That Gives Biden Po...
Mar 01, 2023•17 min
