Hard Fork

The actor, comedian and author Ed Helms has a new book out about historical blunders. He swings by Hard Fork to tell us about it and answer your moral quandaries, ethical dilemmas and etiquette questions about technology: How do I tell my mom she can’t post about her grandkids on Facebook? Am I being an A.I. hypocrite at work? And is it OK to troll the scammers who blow up my cellphone?

Guest:

• Ed Helms, actor, podcaster and author of “Snafu: The Definitive Guide to History’s Greatest Screwups”

Additional Reading:

• Interview: Ed Helms on Historical Snafus and His Reading Life
• 7 Months Inside an Online Scam Labor Camp

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This week, iPhone users started to feel the impact of a stern court order against Apple that requires the company to stop collecting a commission on some app sales. We break down what this means for apps like Kindle and Spotify and why the judge suggested that Apple and a top executive should be investigated for criminal contempt. Then, Karen Hao joins us to discuss her new book about OpenAI and explain why she believes the benefits of using the company’s tools do not outweigh the moral costs. And finally, Casey introduces Kevin to a strange new universe of A.I. slop that’s racking up millions of likes on TikTok.

Guest:

• Karen Hao, Author of “Empire of AI”

Additional Reading:

• Judge Rebukes Apple and Orders It to Loosen Grip on App Store
• Brain Rot Comes for Italy

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This week we dig into the ways chatbots are starting to manipulate us, including ChatGPT’s sycophantic update, Meta’s digital companionship turn and a secret experiment run on Reddit users. Then Kevin reports back from the unveiling of a new eye-scanning orb. And finally, we’re joined by PJ Vogt for a brand-new segment called Group Chat Chat.

Tickets to “Hard Fork Live” on June 24 are sold out. You can join the wait list here to be alerted if additional tickets become available.

Guest:

• PJ Vogt, host of the podcast “Search Engine”

Additional Reading:

• Meta’s ‘Digital Companions’ Will Talk Sex With Users — Even Children
• Reddit Issuing ‘Formal Legal Demands’ Against Researchers Who Conducted Secret A.I. Experiment on Users
• The Group Chats That Changed America
• The Ice Bucket Challenge Worked. Why Not Try It Again?

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This week, with big developments in two antitrust cases against Google, we discuss how the company may be forced to change its business. Then we’re joined by the journalist Mark Yarm to discuss his recent visit to an underwater home for his article about techno-utopians who want to colonize the ocean. And finally, it’s tool time! We’ll tell you about our latest experiments with ChatGPT’s o3, Casey’s newest journaling practice and Kevin’s continued battle to get to inbox zero.

Tickets to Hard Fork live are on sale! See us June 24 at SFJAZZ.

Guest:

• Mark Yarm, an executive editor at PCMag and the author of “Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge.”

Additional Reading:

• Google May Be on the Brink of a Breakup
• Google Is Illegally Monopolizing Online Advertising Tech, Judge Rules
• The Techno-Utopians Who Want to Colonize the Sea

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This week Meta is on trial, in a landmark case over whether it illegally snuffed out competition when it acquired Instagram and WhatsApp. We discuss some of the most surprising revelations from old email messages made public as evidence in the case, and explain why we think the F.T.C.’s argument has gotten weaker in the years since the lawsuit was filed. Then we hear from Princeton computer scientist Arvind Narayanan on why he believes it will take decades, not years, for A.I. to transform society in the ways the big A.I. labs predict. And finally, what do dolphins, Katy Perry and A1 steak sauce have in common? They’re all important characters in our latest round of HatGPT.

Tickets to Hard Fork live are on sale now! See us June 24 at SFJAZZ.

Guest:

• Arvind Narayanan, director of the Center for Information Technology at Princeton and co-author of “AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What it Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference.”

Additional Reading:

• What if Mark Zuckerberg Had Not Bought Instagram and WhatsApp?
• AI as Normal Technology
• One Giant Stunt for Womankind

We want to hear from you. Email us at [email protected]. Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube and TikTok.

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This week, with the tech world in chaos over President Trump’s tariffs, we look at how four specific companies are navigating the new day-to-day reality. Then, the A.I. researcher Daniel Kokotajlo returns to the show to discuss a new set of predictions for how artificial intelligence could transform the world in just the next few years and how we avoid the most dystopian outcomes. Finally, we explore whether Meta cheated on an important A.I. benchmark with its new Llama model.

Guest:

• Daniel Kokotajlo, executive director of the AI Futures Project

Additional Reading: 

• Inside Trump’s Reversal on Tariffs: From ‘Be Cool!’ to ‘Getting Yippy’
• A.I. 2027
• Meta Gets Rebuked Over Benchmark Gaming

We want to hear from you. Email us at [email protected]. Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube and TikTok.

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This week, President Trump announced sweeping new tariffs that are roiling the global economy. We discuss what this could mean for the tech sector and whether this will give China a competitive advantage over the United States in the development of A.I. Then, we chat with a Wall Street Journal reporter, Keach Hagey, about her new book on Sam Altman and how she solved the mystery of his firing from OpenAI. And finally, Tinder has a new chatbot that you can practice your flirting skills with — which means it’s time for a flirting competition.

Guest:

• Keach Hagey, Wall Street Journal reporter and author of the forthcoming book The Optimist: Sam Altman, OpenAI, and the Race to Invent the Future.

Additional Reading:

• What Trump’s Sweeping Tariffs Mean for the Global Economy, and for You
• Trump’s New Tariffs Test Apple’s Global Supply Chain
• The Secrets and Misdirection Behind Sam Altman’s Firing From OpenAI

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This week, we dig into the group chat that’s rocking the Trump administration and talk about why turning to Signal to plan military operations probably isn’t a great idea. Then, we’re joined by the podcaster Dwarkesh Patel to discuss his new book “The Scaling Era,” and whether he’s still optimistic about the broad benefits of A.I. And finally, a couple weeks ago we asked whether A.I. was making you dumber. Now we hear your takes.

Guest:

• Dwarkesh Patel, tech podcaster and author of “The Scaling Era: An Oral History of A.I., 2019-2025”

Additional Reading:

• The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans
• Signal Chat Leak Angers U.S. Military Pilots
• Is A.I. Making Us Dumb?

We want to hear from you. Email us at [email protected]. Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube and TikTok.

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With all of Silicon Valley weighing in on the Trump administration’s new action plan for artificial intelligence, Kevin and Casey break down what’s on everybody’s wish list. Then, a Columbia undergrad explains why he built a tool that lets coders use A.I. to cheat on job interviews. And finally, we climb aboard the Hot Mess Express to talk Solana’s anti-woke ad, anxious A.I. algorithms and Slack spycraft in the world of H.R.

Guest:

• Roy Lee, Columbia sophomore and founder of Interview Coder

Additional Reading:

• America Crafts an A.I. Action Plan
• Meet the 21-Year-Old Helping Coders Use A.I. to Cheat in Google and Other Tech Job Interviews
• Solana Pulls Ad After Huge Backlash
• Digital Therapists Get Stressed Too, Study Finds
• Rippling Sues Deel, a Software Rival, Over Corporate Spying

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This week, as the long-promised new Siri faces increasing delays, we explore why Apple seems to be falling even further behind in artificial intelligence. Then, the New York Times reporter Adam Satariano joins us to explain how Elon Musk’s satellite internet provider Starlink took over the world. And finally, we look at a new study that asks: Is A.I. eroding our critical thinking skills?

Guest:

• Adam Satariano, New York Times reporter

Additional Reading:

• Apple Delays Siri Upgrade Indefinitely as AI Concerns Escalate 
• With Starlink, Elon Musk’s Satellite Dominance Is Raising Global Alarms
• The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking: Self-Reported Reductions in Cognitive Effort and Confidence Effects From a Survey of Knowledge Workers

We want to hear from you. Email us at [email protected]. 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 or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.