Hard Fork
The New York Times
“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. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Listen to this podcast in New York Times Audio, our new iOS app for news subscribers. Download now at nytimes.com/audioapp
- 1 hour 9 minutesAustralia Kicks Kids Off Social Media + Is the A.I. Water Issue Fake? + Hard Fork Wrapped
This week, Australia implemented the most aggressive social media ban in a democracy to date, kicking children under 16 off 10 of the most popular social platforms. We discuss how the platforms lost the argument around child safety and whether others will follow Australia’s lead. Then, the blogger Andy Masley joins us to separate fact from fiction on the topic of A.I. water use. Is it a distraction from other more pressing environmental concerns? And finally, our first-ever “Hard Fork” Wrapped: We break down our favorite “Hard Fork” stats from 2025 and bring you up to date on three of our biggest stories of the year.
Guests:
- Andy Masley, blogger The Weird Turn Pro
Additional Reading:
- A Grand Social Media Experiment Begins in Australia
- The A.I. water issue is fake
- Why Is Everyone So Wrong About A.I. Water Use?
- Trump Signs Executive Order to Neuter State A.I. Laws
- Trump Clears Sale of More Powerful Nvidia A.I. Chips to China
- We Asked Roblox’s C.E.O. About Child Safety. It Got Tense.
We want to hear from you. Email us at [email protected]. Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube and TikTok.
Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.
12 December 2025, 12:00 pm - 58 minutes 38 secondsOpenAI Calls a ‘Code Red’ + Which Model Should I Use? + The Hard Fork Review of Slop
It’s A.I. model rollout season in Silicon Valley, and OpenAI appears to be feeling the pressure. Sam Altman, the chief executive of OpenAI, sent a memo to staff on Monday declaring a “code red” effort to improve ChatGPT and delay other initiatives. We explain why the latest frontier models from Google and Anthropic have OpenAI spooked and how the company is reshuffling priorities to respond. Then, we give our honest thoughts on which A.I models we like best and share how we’re using A.I. in our day-to-day lives. And finally, we take a look at some of the most popular A.I.-generated content on the internet this week in our latest installment of the Hard Fork Review of Slop.
Additional Reading:- What OpenAI Did When ChatGPT Users Lost Touch With Reality
- Google Unveils Gemini 3, With Improved Coding and Search Abilities
- Tourists Tricked by Fake Royal Christmas Market
- Deepfake of North Carolina lawmaker used in award-winning Whirlpool video
We want to hear from you. Email us at [email protected]. Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube and TikTok.
Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.
5 December 2025, 12:00 pm - 1 minute 24 secondsWhat’s a Hard Fork?
Hosts Kevin Roose and Casey Newton explore stories from the wild frontier of tech.
What’s real? What’s hype? “Hard Fork” is here to help you make sense of it. Tune in every Friday.
Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.
27 September 2022, 2:00 pm - More Episodes? Get the App