TechStuff

This week, Oz sits down with Stephen Witt, a frequent contributor to The New Yorker and author of The Thinking Machine: Jensen Huang, NVIDIA, and the World’s Most Coveted Microchip. They’ll discuss what's made NVIDIA the most valuable chip company in the world — and the most valuable publicly traded company, period. And how a single piece of hardware changed the world forever, and its journey to existence — from a sketch on a Denny’s napkin to powering data centers the size of Central Park. Then, Stephen demystifies why data centers are shrouded in so much secrecy and what lies ahead in our AI future. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do school cell phone bans actually work? This week, Oz tells us why Europe is investing so heavily in defense tech and why one company is investing in cockroaches… Karah introduces us to Billboard’s first charting AI musician, Xania Monet — and the humans that make her possible. Google dreams of data centers in space, school phone bans are making libraries more popular, and France’s DNA database catches the Louvre thieves. Then on Chat and Me, the National Women’s Soccer League gets comfortable with ChatGPT. Additional Reading: The Science Behind the “Bird Theory”Drone start-up backed by Peter Thiel crashed and burned in armed forces trialsAI Artist Xania Monet Debuts on Adult R&B Airplay — a Radio Chart BreakthroughGoogle wants to build solar-powered data centers — in spaceAfter schools banned phones, students checked out more library books: 'We're reclaiming attention'Arrests in Louvre Heist Show Power of DNA Databases in Solving CrimesSeattle Reign coach Laura Harvey says she used ChatGPT for team tacticsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

404 Media’s Joseph Cox joins Oz to discuss his extensive reporting on the technology ICE is using in the agency’s mass deportation efforts. Joseph sheds light on how widespread ICE’s reach is, from facial recognition to location tracking to information databases. And the shift in how major tech companies are interacting with this current Trump administration. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you find facelifts frightening? This week, we celebrate sp0o0ky Halloween by NOT having a party at an AirBnB. Oz unpacks the gadget-filled poker scandal, and Karah contemplates the importance of international accents. Tesla’s new full self-driving profile,“Mad Max” mode, breaks traffic laws. And the scariest thing of all: AI has its own will to survive. Finally, on Chat and Me, Fortune’s Eva Roytburg shares her experience with an AI wearable — the ‘Friend’ pendant. Additional Reading: AirBnB Rolls Out Anti-Party System for HalloweenHow Hacked Card Shufflers Allegedly Enabled a Mob-Fueled Poker Scam That Rocked the NBA | WIREDAI and the End of Accents | WIREDAI models may be developing their own ‘survival drive’, researchers say | Artificial intelligence (AI) | The GuardianWhy Tech Bros Are Getting Face Lifts Now | Wall Street JournalUS investigates Tesla’s ‘Mad Max’ high-speed driver assistance modeI tried the viral AI ‘Friend’ necklace everyone’s talking about—and it’s like wearing your senile, anxious grandmother around your neck | FortuneSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hi, TechStuff listeners! We're excited to share with you a sneak peek at iHeartPodcasts' latest release, Health Stuff! Health Stuff: On Health Stuff, hosts Dr. Priyanka Wali and comedian Hari Kondabolu tackle all the health questions that keep you up at night with hilarity and humanity. Together, they demystify the flashy trends, and keep you informed on the latest research. You can rely on Health Stuff to bring you real, uninhibited, and thoughtful health talk of the highest caliber, and a healthy dose of humor. Listen to Health Stuff on the iHeartRadio App or wherever you get your podcasts! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ever feel like tech is actually fueling your worries? This week, we explore the murky world of parenting tech and pregnancy apps with Amanda Hess, who is the author of “Second Life: Having a Child in the Digital Age” and a writer-at-large for the New York Times covering technology and internet culture. Amanda shares with Karah how pregnancy changed her relationship to technology, discusses the blurry line between pregnancy tech and eugenics, and explains why pregnancy apps aren't actually that helpful. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malcolm Gladwell sits down with IBM Chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna in a special live episode of Smart Talks with IBM. They discuss the groundbreaking potential of quantum computing, the transformative impact of AI on business, and how Krishna’s visionary predictions from the 90s continue to guide IBM’s innovations. This is a paid advertisement from IBM. The conversations on this podcast don't necessarily represent IBM's positions, strategies or opinions. Visit us at https://www.ibm.com/think/podcasts/smart-talks See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Should facial recognition be available to everybody? This week, Oz shows off his new swag from the company of the moment, Colossal Biosciences, and tells us about his visit to the labs’ responsible for Woolly Mice and Dire Wolves. Then, Oz and Karah unpack how facial recognition is being used by viral sites like Cheaterbuster AI and investigate the Trump family crypto empire. They warn about satellites leaking data, Ubers new gigs within gigs, and a new health tracker that goes in your bowl. And finally, an international Chat and Me that will inspire your green thumb! Additional Reading: Viral ‘Cheater Buster’ Sites Use Facial Recognition to Let Anyone Reveal Peoples’ Tinder ProfilesHow the Trump companies made $1bn from cryptoSatellites Are Leaking the World’s Secrets: Calls, Texts, Military and Corporate Data | WIREDUber wants drivers to train AI in their free timeKohler’s new toilet camera provides health insights based on your bathroom breaksSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we’re joined by tech analyst and researcher, Dan Wang, to help analyze the evolving relationship between the US and China. In Dan’s new book, Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future, he introduces a new framework, comparing and contrasting China's “engineering state” to the US’s “lawyerly society”. We also hear Dan’s take on China’s rise as a production superpower, what lessons America can learn from the country and how the current administration's tariff policies (and its ties to tech billionaires like Elon Musk) have shifted the dynamics between these global heavyweights. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is it no longer ‘borderline illegal’ to be Christian in Silicon Valley? This week, Oz and Karah are diving deep into Peter Thiel’s 4-part lecture series on the Anti-Christ and they unpack why the tech industry might be getting more religious. Plus, Oz spills the tea on the Dutch-China microchip drama. Space junk is falling from the sky. The cops are getting called over AI pranks gone wrong. And Karah updates Oz on the latest dating trend. For Chat and Me, one listener gets in over her head, and gives it all up. Additional Reading: Police Say People Keep Calling 911 Over an 'AI Homeless Man' TikTok PrankChristianity Was “Borderline Illegal” in Silicon Valley. Now It’s the New Religion | Vanity FairWhat billionaire Peter Thiel said in his private ‘Antichrist lectures’ - The Washington PostWhy has the Dutch Government taken control of Chinese Owned Chipmaker Nexperia | Al-JazeeraElon Musk's Satellites Now Constantly Falling Out of the Sky‘I realised I’d been ChatGPT-ed into bed’: how ‘Chatfishing’ made finding love on dating apps even weirderSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, it’s all about Sora. OpenAI’s updated video generator and the invite-only social media app. AI Video just got so much easier to make, and harder to detect… Karah and her guest, Jeremy Carrasco, who runs the social media accounts showtoolsAI, demo how Sora works and how you can determine if a short video you’re watching was created with AI. They discuss why it’s a necessary skill in a post-Sora world, what OpenAI might be trying to accomplish with this social app and why you shouldn’t become desensitized to Deepfakes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are you ready to bond over AI videos? This week in tech news, OpenAI dominates the game. Their new social media app is the talk of the internet, they signed a massive chip deal that rocked the industry, and they just released tech that gets ChatGPT one step closer to becoming the 'everything app'. Then, Oz answers the question, “Have we passed peak social media?” and introduces Karah to “wetware.” Karah explains how robots are helping make babies. And finally, a sneak peek at a new podcast, How to Raise Kids in the Age of AI. Also, we want to hear from you: If you’ve used a chatbot in an unusual or surprising way, send us a 1–2 minute voice note at techstuffpodcast@gmail.com. Additional Reading: Day One YouTubeOpenAI’s social video app Sora makes fake clips of real people - The Washington PostSam Altman Shoplifting AI Video - SoraThe Great Slopification, Powered by OpenAI - Prof G MarketsHave We Passed Peak Social Media? - The Financial TimesScientists race to make 'living' computers powered by human cellsRobots are learning to make human babies. Twenty have already been born.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we check in on the CIA and how it’s faring in the age of AI. Oz sits down with David Ignatius, a foreign affairs columnist for The Washington Post to discuss his article, “A Band of Innovators Reimagines the Spy Game for a World with No Cover.” Ignatius has been covering US foreign policy and the CIA for almost four decades and he recently had a realization – that the “future of intelligence was going to be written in zeros and ones.” Which means the intelligence community needs to adapt and adapt quickly. But how does a government agency do this and what happens if it doesn’t? And who is responsible for dragging the bureaucracy-addled CIA into the AI future? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you know the definition of a friend? This week in tech news, workplaces may not be getting a good return on their AI investments and a new wearable goes all in on advertisements, but they are getting defaced. Then, Italy has a new AI regulation law and there’s a buzzy new “actress” in Hollywood. On Chat and Me, how one listener is personalizing AI to help his students learn Spanish. Also, we want to hear from you: If you’ve used a chatbot in an unusual or surprising way, send us a 1–2 minute voice note at techstuffpodcast@gmail.com. Additional Reading: The hottest workplace policy at startups right now: No shoes | FortuneAI Generated Workslop is Destroying Productivity I went to an anti-tech rally, where Gen Z dressed as gnomes and smashed iPhones. Here's what I learned.AI Startup Friend Bets On Foes With $1M NYC Subway Campaign$55 Billion Deal for Electronic Arts Is Biggest Buyout Ever - The New York TimesNeon, the No. 2 social app on the Apple App Store, pays users to record their phone calls and sells data to AI firms | TechCrunchItaly enacts AI law covering privacy, oversight and child access | ReutersAI Actress Tilly Norwood Draws Backlash From Melissa Barrera, Lukas Gage and More Hollywood Names as Creator Defends Her as a ‘New Tool’ and ‘Not a Replacement for a Human Being’See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we explore Hollywood’s open secret — that everyone is using AI, they just aren’t talking about it. Karah sits down with Lila Shapiro, a features writer for New York Magazine, about what Hollywood, itself, thinks of AI. She shares what she’s learned from her extensive interviews with studio executives, directors, writers, vfx artists, actors, and AI entrepreneurs. They discuss whether AI is making creative jobs easier, or threatening to destroy them entirely. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who are the teens debugging in the bathroom? This week in tech news, there’s a Gen Z-led revolution in Nepal and Discord made it possible. Early 2000s hustle culture is so back in Silicon Valley — at least for teen tech founders. Then, there’s a new AI-generated political satire show airing on Russian state TV. And Albania gets an AI-avatar to seek out corruption. Finally, on Chat and Me, how ChatGPT is helping one user through a new diagnosis. Also, we want to hear from you: If you’ve used a chatbot in a surprising or delightful (or deranged) way, send us a 1–2 minute voice note at techstuffpodcast@gmail.com. Additional Reading: Nepal Currently Being Run Via Discord After Gen Z UprisingAI Startup Founders Tout a Winning Formula—No Booze, No Sleep, No FunThe Trump Admin Is Suing Amazon for Tricking People Into Prime Subscriptions. Here’s How That Might Affect YouAlbania’s AI-generated chatbot, called Diella, was named to the country’s cabinetRussian State TV Launches AI-Generated News Satire ShowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we’re bringing you the first episode of Season 3 of the podcast ON CRISPR. Walter Isaacson — the bestselling biographer behind Musk, Einstein and Steve Jobs – and journalist Evan Ratliff (Shell Game, Mastermind, Longform) take a behind-the-scenes look at the story of Jennifer Doudna, one of the scientific pioneers behind the gene editing software, CRISPR. In this episode, Evan sits down with Walter Isaacson to discuss Doudna’s upbringing, the history of DNA’s discovery and gene editing, and Baby KJ, a CRISPR patient who represents a milestone for both researchers and patients. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does the viral video of Charlie Kirk’s assassination say about the state of content moderation on social media? This week, Oz and Karah unpack the complexities of moderating graphic-but-newsworthy content, and why tech companies commitment to moderation has waned in recent years. Then, Karah talks to a student in New York about how they’re adjusting to not having access to their phone during the school day. Then, on Chat and Me, a woman uses ChatGPT to diagnose her mother’s mysterious ailment. Also, we want to hear from you: If you’ve used a chatbot in a surprising or delightful (or deranged) way, send us a 1–2 minute voice note at techstuffpodcast@gmail.com. Sources: Charlie Kirk Was Shot and Killed in a Post-Content-Moderation World From burner phones to decks of cards: NYC teens are adjusting to the smartphone ban Larry Ellison’s personal fortune soars on back of Oracle’s share price surge 5,000 Podcasts. 3,000 Episodes a Week. $1 Cost Per Episode — Behind an AI Start Up’s Plan Labour MPs accused of using ChatGPT to write speeches See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we take a deep dive into why Gen Z isn’t having sex. Karah talks with Carter Sherman, a reproductive health and justice reporter for The Guardian, and author of the book The Second Coming: Sex and the Next Generation's Fight Over Its Future. They unpack how tech factors into the “Sex Recession,” sex as a proxy measure for empathy and human connection, and how all of this is a lot more political than you might think. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does getting older actually feel like? This week, Oz and Karah discuss MIT Researchers who are using technology to simulate aging. Then, Oz tells the story of an activist who used China’s surveillance state as a form of protest. Karah dives deep into the weird world of humans quietly training chatbots. And finally, on Chat and Me, is replacing your therapist with ChatGPT a good idea? Also, we want to hear from you: If you’ve used a chatbot in a surprising or delightful (or deranged) way, send us a 1–2 minute voice note at techstuffpodcast@gmail.com. Sources: My Day as an 80-Year-Old. What an Age-Simulation Suit Taught Me. She Sacrificed Her Youth to Get the Tech Bros to Grow Up A Hidden Camera Protest Turned the Tables on China’s Surveillance State Inside the lucrative, surreal, and disturbing world of AI trainers Sam Altman, Tim Cook, and other tech leaders lauded Trump at a White House AI dinner “First of its kind” AI settlement: Anthropic to pay authors $1.5 billion AirPods Pro 3 arrive with heart-rate sensing and live translation using Apple Intelligence See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.