The Surgeon General is calling for warning labels on social media platforms: Should Congress give his proposal a like? Then, former Stanford researcher Rene DiResta joins us to talk about her new book on modern propaganda and whether we are losing the war against disinformation. And finally, the Times reporter David Yaffe-Bellany stops by to tell us how crypto could reshape the 2024 elections. Guests Rene DiResta , author of Invisible Rulers, former technical research manager at the Stanford Int...
Jun 21, 2024•1 hr 18 min•Ep 88•Transcript available on Metacast This week we go to Cupertino, Calif., for Apples annual Worldwide Developers Conference and talk with Tripp Mickle, a New York Times reporter, about all of the new features Apple announced and the companys giant leap into artificial intelligence. Then, we explore what was another tumultuous week for Elon Musk, who navigated a shareholders vote to re-approve his massive compensation package at Tesla, amid new claims that he had sex with subordinates at SpaceX. And finally lets play HatGPT. Guests...
Jun 14, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Ep 87•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we host a cultural exchange. Kevin and Casey show off their Canadian paraphernalia to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and he shows off what hes doing to position Canada as a leader in A.I. Then, the OpenAI whistle-blower Daniel Kokotajlo speaks in one of his first public interviews about why he risked almost $2 million in equity to warn of what he calls the reckless culture inside that company. Guests: Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada Daniel Kokotajlo , a former researcher in O...
Jun 07, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Ep 86•Transcript available on Metacast This week, Google found itself in more turmoil, this time over its new AI Overviews feature and a trove of leaked internal documents. Then Josh Batson, a researcher at the A.I. startup Anthropic, joins us to explain how an experiment that made the chatbot Claude obsessed with the Golden Gate Bridge represents a major breakthrough in understanding how large language models work. And finally, we take a look at recent developments in A.I. safety, after Caseys early access to OpenAIs new souped-up v...
May 31, 2024•1 hr 19 min•Ep 85•Transcript available on Metacast This week, more drama at OpenAI: The company wanted Scarlett Johansson to be a voice of GPT-4o, she said no but something got lost in translation. Then we talk with Noland Arbaugh, the first person to get Elon Musks Neuralink device implanted in his brain, about how his brain-computer interface has changed his life. And finally, the Timess Karen Weise reports back from Microsofts developer conference, where the big buzz was that the companys new line of A.I. PCs will record every single thing yo...
May 24, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Ep 84•Transcript available on Metacast This week, OpenAI unveiled GPT-4o, its newest A.I. model. It has an uncannily emotive voice that everybody is talking about. Then, we break down the biggest announcements from Google IO, including the launch of A.I. overviews, a major change to search that threatens the way the entire web functions. And finally, Kevin and Casey discuss the weirdest headlines from the week in another round of HatGPT. Additional Reading: A.I.s Her Era Has Arrived ChatGPT Gets an Emotional Upgrade Googles Broken Li...
May 17, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Ep 83•Transcript available on Metacast Kevin reports on his monthlong experiment cultivating relationships with 18 companions generated by artificial intelligence. He walks through how he developed their personas, what went down in their group chats, and why you might want to make one yourself. Then, Casey has a conversation with Turing, one of Kevins chatbot buddies, who has an interest in stoic philosophy and has one of the sexiest voices weve ever heard. And finally, we talk to Nomis founder and chief executive, Alex Cardinell, ab...
May 10, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Ep 82•Transcript available on Metacast We asked listeners to tell us about the wildest ways they have been using artificial intelligence at work. This week, we bring you their stories. Then, Hank Green, a legendary YouTuber, stops by to talk about how creators are reacting to the prospect of a ban on TikTok, and about how hes navigating an increasingly fragmented online environment. And finally, deep fakes are coming to Main Street: Well tell you the story of how they caused turmoil in a Maryland high school and what, if anything, ca...
May 03, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Ep 81•Transcript available on Metacast On Wednesday, President Biden signed a bill into law that would force the sale of TikTok or ban the app outright. We explain how this came together, when just a few weeks ago it seemed unlikely to happen, and what legal challenges the law will face next. Then we check on Teslas very bad year and whats next for the company after this weeks awful quarterly earnings report. Finally, to boldly support tech where tech has never been supported before: Engineers at NASAs Jet Propulsion Lab try to fix a...
Apr 26, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Ep 80•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we drop the Hard Fork Music Megamix. Plus, we talk to two of the New York Time's composers who make the music for our show. Its all the tracks you know and love, all in one place. Todays Guests: Dan Powell, creative technical manager at The New York Times Elisheba Ittoop, sound designer and composer at The New York Times Additional Reading: The Hard Fork Megamix Youtube Playlist We want to hear from you. Email us at hardfork@nytimes.com . Find Hard Fork on YouTube and TikTok . Unlock ...
Apr 19, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep 79•Transcript available on Metacast This week, the companies building artificial intelligence are facing a limit to what training data is publicly available on the internet. Will that stop them from building God? Then, a new bipartisan national privacy law proposal just dropped. We ask whats in it. And finally, ByteDance is building new apps instead of fighting Congresss TikTok ban. Todays Guests: Trevor Hughes, president and C.E.O. of the International Association of Privacy Professionals Additional Reading: How Tech Giants Cut C...
Apr 12, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Ep 78•Transcript available on Metacast This week we look at how AI is affecting jobs. As companies start announcing AI-related job cuts and experimenting with customer service bots, economists are placing bets on whether AI will lead to major gains for companies and workers. Some are even predicting it will help rebuild the middle class. Then, multidisciplinary artist and filmmaker Paul Trillo joins to talk to us about his experience as part of a select group of testers granted early access to Sora, Open AIs video generation tool. An...
Apr 05, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep 77•Transcript available on Metacast Warning: The second segment of this episode includes mentions of suicide. If you are in crisis please call the suicide and crisis lifeline at 988 or you can contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. This week, we look at a mess of corporate drama in artificial intelligence. Stability AI has announced that its founder and C.E.O., Emad Mostaque, is leaving the company. Meanwhile, Microsoft hired away two of the co-founders and much of the staff of Inflection, without actually acquiri...
Mar 29, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Ep 76•Transcript available on Metacast This week, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Apple, saying the company holds a monopoly over the smartphone market. We break down the lawsuit and ask whether it will be a major turning point in Apples dominance. Then, Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist, argues that smartphones and social media are the cause of widespread increases in mental health issues among young people. He tells us his four potential solutions to the problem. And finally, Reddits market capitalization hit $9.2 billion w...
Mar 22, 2024•2 hr 30 min•Ep 75•Transcript available on Metacast This week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would ban TikTok if its Chinese-owned parent company, ByteDance, doesnt sell it off. We talk about why, what happens next, and how likely it is that the app will be banned. Then, how a photoshopped image of Kate Middleton undermines trust in photography. And finally, a new report reveals how your car may be tracking you without your knowledge and how that might raise your insurance bill. Todays guest: Kashmir Hill, features writer a...
Mar 15, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Ep 74•Transcript available on Metacast OpenAI responded to Elon Musks lawsuit this week, with a blog post that included emails dating to 2015. We talk about whether the lawsuit could have any impact on the company, and who stands to benefit from it. Then, will the European Unions Digital Markets Act make the tech industry a more competitive environment for entrepreneurs? We look at how some of the biggest tech giants are changing their services to comply with the law. And finally, Kevin Roose and the Wall Street Journal reporter Joan...
Mar 08, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Ep 73•Transcript available on Metacast Warning: This episode contains strong language. Google removed the ability to generate images of people from its Gemini chatbot. We talk about why, and about the brewing culture war over artificial intelligence. Then, did Kara Swisher start Hard Fork? We clear up some podcast drama and ask about her new book, Burn Book. And finally, the legal expert Daphne Keller tells us how the U.S. Supreme Court might rule on the most important First Amendment cases of the internet era, and what Star Trek and...
Mar 01, 2024•1 hr 29 min•Ep 72•Transcript available on Metacast This weeks episode is a conversation with Demis Hassabis, the head of Googles artificial intelligence division. We talk about Googles latest A.I. models, Gemini and Gemma; the existential risks of artificial intelligence; his timelines for artificial general intelligence; and what he thinks the world will look like post-A.G.I. Additional listening and reading: A.I. Could Solve Some of Humanitys Hardest Problems. It Already Has. This interview was recorded on Wednesday. Since then, Google has tem...
Feb 23, 2024•57 min•Ep 71•Transcript available on Metacast A year ago, a chatbot tried to break up Kevin Rooses marriage. Ever since, chatbots havent been the same. Well tell you how. Then, well talk through the latest ways the world is adapting to artificial intelligence. And finally, Aravind Srinivas, the chief executive of Perplexity, will discuss his companys answer engine, a challenger to Googles search engine that could reshape the web as we know it. Todays guest: Aravind Srinivas, chief executive of Perplexity Additional Reading: The Year Chatbot...
Feb 16, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Ep 70•Transcript available on Metacast Bluesky, the Twitter spin-off, is now open for public sign-ups. Can its dreams of decentralization fix social media? We talk with CEO Jay Graber. Then, New York Times reporter Erin Griffith on how Adobes failed acquisition of Figma has spooked tech companies and upset Silicon Valleys startup pipeline. And finally, updates on ancient scrolls and artificial intelligence, Googles chatbots, and the fight between record companies and TikTok. Todays guests: Jay Graber, CEO of Bluesky Erin Griffith, re...
Feb 09, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Ep 69•Transcript available on Metacast Apples Vision Pro headset is now for sale in stores. Will it live up to the hype? Kevin Roose and Casey Newton tried it out to see. Then, in a high-profile congressional hearing on child safety and social media, Mark Zuckerberg, the Meta chief executive, made an apology to families of victims of online child abuse. Is new legislation on the horizon? And finally, what the collapse of Cruise, the autonomous vehicle company, means for the future of self-driving cars. Additional Reading: Apple readi...
Feb 02, 2024•1 hr 14 min•Ep 68•Transcript available on Metacast Layoffs are hitting newsrooms and publishers again, as tech platforms, ad markets and artificial intelligence reshape the internet. Kevin Roose and Casey Newton have ideas for solutions. Then, one of the most influential investors in crypto companies lays out where the industry went wrong, and why he still thinks blockchains are the future. And finally, a round of HatGPT with the weeks tech headlines, including a spicy LinkedIn post and an A.I. test that disturbs Kevin and Caseys sense of realit...
Jan 26, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Ep 67•Transcript available on Metacast OpenAI has released its plan to fight disinformation in elections in 2024, but will its policies be consequential compared to those of other generative A.I. companies? Then, a watershed moment had crypto fans celebrating for the first time in maybe more than a year. And finally, what one writers attempt to sell a used mechanical pencil on TikTok says about how the platform is changing. Todays guests: David Yaffe-Bellany covers the crypto industry for The New York Times John Herrman covers techno...
Jan 19, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Ep 66•Transcript available on Metacast Casey is taking his newsletter Platformer off Substack, as criticism over the companys handling of pro-Nazi content grows. Then, The Wall Street Journal spoke with witnesses who said that Elon Musk had used LSD, cocaine, ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms, worrying some directors and board members of his companies. And finally, how researchers found a new class of antibiotics with the help of an artificial intelligence algorithm used to win the board game Go. Todays guests: Kirsten Grind, enterpr...
Jan 12, 2024•1 hr 28 min•Ep 65•Transcript available on Metacast The New York Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft last week for copyright infringement. Kevin Roose and Casey Newton walk through the lawsuit and discuss the stakes for news publishers. Then, they talk about Apples walled garden, which is facing threats from both regulators and 16-year-olds. Finally, we set our tech resolutions for the new year. Todays guest: Eric Migicovsky, co-founder of Beeper Additional Reading: The New York Times sued OpenAI. Apples latest headache in the debate over blue vs. gr...
Jan 05, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Ep 64•Transcript available on Metacast Last year, we predicted what 2023 in tech would look like. This week, we take a look back at those predictions, see what we got right and wrong, and make new ones for 2024. Then, the actor, comedian and writer Jenny Slate joins us to answer your Hard Questions. We want to hear from you. Email us at hardfork@nytimes.com . 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 nytimes.com/podcasts...
Dec 22, 2023•2 hr 38 min•Ep 63•Transcript available on Metacast A jury decided the Google Play store unfairly stifles competition and maintains a monopoly. Kevin and Casey discuss how the ruling could reshape the digital economy. Then, a growing movement of developers and enthusiasts of artificial intelligence want the technology developed as quickly as possible, even if it has negative consequences for humanity. And finally, why the internet of the future could look totally different. Todays guest: Cloudflare CEO and co-founder Matthew Prince. Additional Re...
Dec 15, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Ep 62•Transcript available on Metacast Warning: This episode contains some explicit language. Googles new artificial intelligence model Gemini is out. Its advertised as Americas next top A.I. model. Kevin and Casey ask, is it really better than OpenAIs GPT-4? Then, by some estimates millions of people pre-ordered Teslas Cybertruck, but has Elon Musks recent behavior soured people on the brand? And finally, more A.I. news you may have missed. Additional Reading: Google is chasing ChatGPT with the launch of Gemini. Even if people cance...
Dec 08, 2023•57 min•Ep 61•Transcript available on Metacast Warning: This episode contains some explicit language. The drama at OpenAI is not over. Kevin and Casey take stock of new information theyve gathered since last week, and look at how other artificial intelligence companies are trying to capitalize on the debacle. Then, why people are still buying cryptocurrency even after Binance, the worlds largest crypto exchange, and its founder pleaded guilty to money laundering violations. And finally, three ways A.I. is ruining web search. Or is it? Todays...
Dec 01, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep 60•Transcript available on Metacast In yet another head-spinning twist at OpenAI, Sam Altman was reinstated as the companys chief executive on Tuesday night, a mere five days after the OpenAI board had fired him. The board will be overhauled and a new set of directors, including Bret Taylor and Lawrence Summers, will join. Today, we discuss how Altman returned to the top seat and whether the OpenAI news will ever slow down. Additional Reading: Late Tuesday night, Sam Altman was reinstated as OpenAIs chief executive . Unlock full a...
Nov 22, 2023•14 min•Ep 59•Transcript available on Metacast 
