- 1 hour 9 minutesThe A.I. Trade Secrets War + Economists Say ‘We Must Act Now’ + HatGPT
This week, feuding between some of the biggest tech companies spilled into public view. We discuss Apple’s accusation that OpenAI tried to steal secrets about Apple’s hardware business, as well as share our reactions about OpenAI’s new model, Sol, and Anthropic’s decision to extend access to its model Fable.
Then, we unpack the loudest warning yet about A.I. and jobs. We talk with Erik Brynjolfsson, a Stanford economist, about a statement he helped organize that implores economists and A.I. researchers to “act now” to steer A.I. in a direction that complements humans.
And finally, we play a round of HatGPT.
Guest:
- Erik Brynjolfsson, senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered A.I., and director of the Stanford Digital Economy Lab.
Additional Reading:
- Apple Sues OpenAI, Accusing It of Stealing Company Secrets
- OpenAI’s First Device Will Be Movable, Screenless Speaker Built as A.I. Companion
- Nearly 200 Economists and Tech Leaders Warn of A.I. Threats
- The loudest warning about A.I. and jobs yet
- OpenAI Is Showing Kalshi’s World Cup Odds in ChatGPT
- New York Enacts Nation’s First Statewide Moratorium on Data Centers
- Brown Professor Suspects Majority of His Class Used A.I. to Cheat
- MiniMax CEO Vows to Forgo Salary Until Achieving A.G.I.
- Lorde Speaks Out — With Expletives — Against A.I. Glasses
- Nearly 6 in 10 Young Women Get Health and Wellness Information from Influencers
- Meta Removes A.I. Feature on Instagram After Days of Backlash
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.
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17 July 2026, 11:00 am - 1 hour 19 minutesDo Social Media Bans Work? + A Conversation About A.I. Consciousness + Tool Time
This week, with news that the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up Texas’ age verification law for app stores, we check in on how social media bans are going around the globe and what may be coming soon to a state near you. Then, we’re joined by Jeff Sebo, an associate professor at N.Y.U., to discuss new research into “A.I. welfare” and whether A.I. could ever become conscious. And finally, in our latest edition of Tool Time, we show each other some of the latest tech tools we’ve been experimenting with.
Guest:
- Jeff Sebo, associate professor and the director of the Center for Mind, Ethics, and Policy at N.Y.U.
Additional Reading:
- Why Social Media Bans Are Gaining Steam
- Four in Five Under-16s in Australia Using Social Media Despite Ban, Study Shows
- It Turns Out Banning Teens From Social Media Is Hard
- Studying A.I. Welfare Empirically
- A Global Workspace in Language Models
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.
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10 July 2026, 11:00 am - 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.
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27 September 2022, 2:00 pm - More Episodes? Get the App