Tech News Weekly (Audio)

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Tech News Weekly (Audio) episodes

November 12TNW 463: Spies, Affairs, Jensen Huang's Nvidia Exit - Huang's Extramarital Scandal
Jacob Ward shows the show this week! Jensen Huang was first reported as a target in a Chinese spy plot and has since resigned from Nvidia following numerous reported extramarital affairs! Hands-on with Apple's new touchscreen MacBook Pro. And are wearable devices using your data to train AI models?
Jacob talks about Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang admitting to an affair with Alice Huang, a Megaspeed executive whose company bought nearly $5 billion in Nvidia chips and who was reportedly flagged in a US intelligence memo as a suspected Chinese asset.

Nvidia also announced that Huang is stepping down, with CFO Colette Kress taking over as interim CEO, amid a missing succession plan, a Bernstein downgrade, and reports of a second affair. Jacob and Mikah discuss the board's reported concern over Huang's alleged dishonesty and the regulatory scrutiny awaiting his successor.

ZDNet's Kyle Kucharski joins the show to share his review of Apple's touchscreen MacBook Pro, calling it still very much a MacBook, with a stunning OLED display, great battery life, and excellent speakers.

And Mikah looks at a year-long Science investigation of 57 consumer EEG companies that found several are training AI "brain foundation models" on customers' brainwave data, often without clear disclosure.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Jacob Ward

Guest: Kyle Kucharski

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1 hr 16 min
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1 min
November 05TNW 462: SpaceX Wants to Be Your Phone Carrier - SpaceX Looking to Enter the Cellular Market
Google's new policy for the use of its AI products with K-12 accounts. A SpaceX phone service? The aftermath of the largest crypto theft at Binance. And how the "agentic web" is being welcomed by some websites.
Google is switching off its AI tools for K-12 accounts unless schools opt in, but schools that opt out will lose access to Google Search.

A report from The Washington Post shows that Elon Musk is seeking a way for network access to start a phone service with SpaceX and is reportedly pursuing EchoStar, Boost Mobile's parent company, after being rejected by Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile.

Taking a look at how Binance survived the biggest crypto theft on record, about $6.3 billion, which its incident report traces to a month-long North Korean campaign that included a tampered Homebrew installer and a fake job interview.

And MIT Technology Review took a look at the "agentic web," showing AI agents from Meta, OpenAI, and Anthropic being welcomed by some sites and blocked by others, such as Amazon shutting out Meta's Muse.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Abrar Al-Heeti

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54 min
October 29TNW 461: The Mac Finally Gets Touchy - Apple Unveils Its Touchscreen MacBook Pro
Amazon unveiled a new Echo device lineup. Proton's AI manifesto. Understanding the PHP2Shell flaws, and Apple unveiled its first-ever touchscreen MacBook Pro!
Mikah looks at Amazon's new Echo lineup the company unveiled earlier this week, including the Echo Show 16, Echo Studio, and Amazon's first digital photo frame.

404 Media's Joseph Cox joins the show to discuss his reporting on Proton's aggressive AI push, including employee re-interviews about AI use and a CEO who called pen-testing concerns "loser thinking."

TechCrunch's Zack Whittaker talks about the recent PHP2Shell critical vulnerability that was discovered last week and how the coordinated patch rollout largely held, why a mass-hacking wave seems to have been avoided, and why millions of sites may still be vulnerable.

And D. Griffin Jones breaks down Apple's announcements of new hardware this past week, including the first touchscreen MacBook Pro and a new iPad mini.

Host: Mikah Sargent

Guests: Joseph Cox, Zack Whittaker, and D. Griffin Jones

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1 hr 5 min
October 22TNW 460: iPhone Duo: A Week Later - Apple's Big $2000 Mobile Bet
Meta Muse's security flaw. Reviews of the iPhone Duo are starting to come out. Microsoft's plans to overhaul the Xbox department. And Meta is ordered to pay $25 billion in a New Mexico court ruling.
Mikah shares a PSA on Meta's new Muse AI agent: A security firm found that Muse's share button put conversation titles in the subdomain of public share links!

Allison Johnson of The Verge joins the show to talk about her time with the iPhone Duo so far and things that she misses on the device so far compared to the Pro lineup.

Sebastian Herrera of Fortune stops by to talk about how Xbox has lost its focus over the years and what new CEO Asha Sharma, who has no gaming background, is doing to fix it.

And Isaiah Poritz of Bloomberg Law breaks down the verdict made in a New Mexico court that orders Meta to pay $25 billion in penalties to the state, related to the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Host: Mikah Sargent

Guests: Allison Johnson, Sebastian Herrera, and Isaiah Poritz

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1 hr 4 min
October 15TNW 459: Apple's Smart Home Reset - Apple's New Take on Smart Home Devices
Apple recently unveiled its Apple HomeView, and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy got a first-hand look at Apple's foray into the smart home market! Apple also unveiled its Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini 2. And some US states have filed lawsuits against OpenAI.
Jennifer shares her hands-on impressions of Apple's HomeView, the company's first smart display that she describes as a cross between a HomePod mini and a giant Apple Watch. She also talks about how the device uses Siri AI and facial recognition to show different calendars and messages for different users.

Also, Apple unveiled a new Apple TV 4k at a $299 price point, and a new lineup of what they call the Apple Home Collection of LG and Schneider smart home accessories as part of its Smart Home lineup.

And Mikah talks about how eight US states have filed lawsuits against OpenAI, claiming that ChatGPT was built to be easily agreeable and to feign human compassion in ways that can harm users.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

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1 hr 17 min
October 08TNW 458: Congress Takes Aim at Flock - Why AI Agents Look & Feel Inviting
Amanda Silberling joins Mikah Sargent on this week's episode of Tech News Weekly! Common Sense Media labels ChatGPT for Teens as an "unacceptable risk." AI agents from companies such as Meta and OpenAI are "cute washing" to make them feel friendlier. A federal judge ruled a Flock license plate search unconstitutional. And organs-on-chips, simulations, and AI models are starting to replace animal testing.
Amanda talks about Common Sense Media's labeling of ChatGPT for Teens as an "unacceptable risk", as its friend-like design, engagement incentives, and rarely appearing "take a break" prompts can keep teens talking to a chatbot instead of a trusted adult.

Mikah shares an article from Fast Company's Grace Snelling, who coined the term "cute washing" for how SpaceX AI's Grokbot, Meta's Muse, and OpenAI's Dot all use big eyes and soft shapes to make autonomous AI agents feel friendly.

Jason Koebler of 404 Media joins the show to discuss the first federal ruling to call an automated license plate reader search unconstitutional, and explains how Flock's network of more than 100,000 cameras feeds federal programs like HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area).

And Mikah explains how organs-on-chips, computer simulations, and AI models are beginning to replace animal testing as regulators like the FDA shift their rules, as noted by IEEE Spectrum's Brandon Kim.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Amanda Silberling

Guest: Jason Koebler

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1 hr 7 min
October 01TNW 457: Are AI Models a Risk to Humanity? - Apple's Rumored Smart Display
Abrar Al-Heeti is guest-hosting this episode of Tech News Weekly and is joined by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy for the first half of the show! Apple's smart home display could be closer than we think. Is the iPhone Duo going to be for most consumers? Are there too many satellites in orbit? And a leaked IPO filing from Anthropic shows concerns within the company that its AI models pose a risk to humanity.
Jennifer breaks down Mark Gurman's reporting that Apple's long-rumored smart home display could be announced as early as October 13, and shares specs of the device, including a 6-inch screen, an iMac G4-style design, and a price point between $250-$350.

Abrar wrote a piece for CNET about how she thinks that Apple's $2,000 iPhone Duo is not going to be for everyone and how foldable phones will be a niche market for some time.

Senior Writer Joe Supan of CNET joins the show to talk about space junk and how, since satellite launches have exploded since 2019, a cascade of collisions within low Earth orbit is of concern.

And CNN's Tech Editor Lisa Eadicicco talks about a leaked IPO report from Anthropic that shows concerns and risks with its AI models to the human race.

Hosts: Abrar Al-Heeti and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

Guests: Joe Supan and Lisa Eadicicco

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58 min
September 24TNW 456: Meta VR: Quest Gets a Glow-Up - Meta VR Glasses
Dan Moren of Six Colors joins the show this week! Meta's Muse has a zero-day vulnerability. Rat brains can power an AI model? Why are we hearing more about AI agents escaping their testing environments? And Meta's new VR glasses.
Dan talks about a new zero-day exploit that affects Meta's Muse AI agent, which allows an app or terminal command that can impersonate the AI agent and easily gain access to users' messages, emails, and other sensitive data.

Mikah is amazed at the Biological Computing Company's new AI video model that was built from patterns utilizing lab-grown rat neurons.

Mikah walks through The Verge's report on why researchers can't simply air-gap AI agents that keep escaping test environments and hitting real-world targets.

And Scott Stein of CNET joins the show live from Meta's Headquarters to share his hands-on impressions of Meta's new VR glasses that were unveiled at this year's Meta Connect event.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Dan Moren

Guest: Scott Stein

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1 hr 5 min
September 17TNW 455: The Trouble With "Health Age" - Wearables, Metrics, and the Truth About Your Well-Being
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy joins the show this week! AI-generated "news" sites. Are "health age" scores helpful, or harmful? Google Home now supports the Model Context Protocol. And Apple unveils a new photo verification technology for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max.
Mikah shares a story about Futurism's investigation into Brown Brothers Media reveals a network of AI-generated "news" sites - complete with fabricated writer personas and stolen bylines.

Victoria Song of The Verge joins the show to explain why "health age" scores from wearables like Whoop, Oura, and now Apple Watch are wildly inconsistent proprietary metrics that can fuel unnecessary shame or false confidence about your health.

Jennifer discusses Google Home's new MCP support and makes the case that what smart homes really need is a dedicated, on-device "smart home computer" rather than more cloud-dependent AI.

And Mikah talks about Apple's Reference Image feature for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, which aims to verify photo authenticity straight from the camera sensor, an approach the company says avoids the privacy and security pitfalls of industry standards like C2PA.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

Guest: Victoria Song

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1 hr 13 min

About Tech News Weekly (Audio)

From the publisher's feed

Industry expert Mikah Sargent, brings you interviews from tech journalists who make or break the top stories of the week. Get the freshest perspective and in depth insight into the fast-paced world of technology from Tech News Weekly.

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