The Week in Tech is back and it’s growing. Starting this Friday, Oz will be joined by a panel of the brightest minds covering Silicon Valley. Each week, they will discuss the latest news, decode emerging trends and debate what actually matters for the future of technology and for us.

This week, TechStuff asked Taylor Lorenz, Stephen Witt and Nitasha Tiku to share a story. Nitasha catches us up on the drama unfolding between Anthropic and the Pentagon. Stephen covers another tragic case of AI psychosis with fatal consequences. And Taylor makes the case for why 'social media addiction' is a harmful framework — and how age-verification laws could lead to mass surveillance and censorship of adults and children alike.

Additional Reading: 

• Anthropic Sues Pentagon Over National Security Risk Label - The Washington Post
• Gemini Said They Could Only Be Together if He Killed Himself. Soon, He Was Dead. - WSJ 
• Congress Is Considering Abolishing Your Right to Be Anonymous Online - The Intercept 
• The world wants to ban children from social media, but there will be grave consequences for us all | Taylor Lorenz | The Guardian 

This episode contains mentions of suicide. If you or someone you know needs support, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988, or visit 988lifeline.org.

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This week, we're talking 'human technology' — specifically, neuro-linguistic programming, or NLP. If you have any interest in modern day cults like NXIVM or Twin Flames Universe, you may have heard of it. But did you know that NLP also has roots in therapeutic practices like Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy, or that Tony Robbins was an NLP practitioner before becoming a motivational speaker?

In the new podcast Mind Games, journalists and best friends Alice Hines and Zoë Lescaze investigate the origins of NLP, from its roots in the new age movement in 1970s California through the pick-up artist trend of the early 2000s. They even try their hand at hypnotizing themselves. But does it work? 

Check out Mind Games from Kaleidoscope and iHeartPodcasts, wherever you get your podcasts.

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When documentary filmmaker Adam Bhala Lough set out to make a movie about OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman, he hoped to get an interview with his main character. But when that didn’t happen, Adam found a workaround — he created a chatbot version of Sam Altman. From San Francisco to India to Los Angeles, Adam takes “Sambot” and the audience on a journey through the possibilities of what can happen when you deepfake a real person, and that person becomes your friend.

Karah sat down with Adam to discuss the secretive, cult-like nature of OpenAI, Adam’s relationship with “Sambot,” and whether AI chatbots are the future of friendships. 

If you’d like to see the film, check out deepfakingsamaltman.com/buy-tickets.

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This week, we’re bringing you an episode from the podcast No Such Thing. Join Manny, Noah, and Devan — three best friends and journalists — as they settle dumb arguments by actually doing the research. 

Each week, they start with a debate or discussion. In this episode, they ask: what’s up with Tesla door handles? And why do microwaves have so many buttons? And why are couches so expensive, but so uncomfortable?  They’re joined by experts to answer these questions, including friend of the pod, Dexter Thomas, host of kill switch.  

For more information, please subscribe to their newsletter at www.nosuchthing.show. And if you have any questions you’d like Manny, Devan and Noah to get to the bottom of, email them at or leave a voicemail: ‪(860) 325-0286.

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Tilly Norwood caused quite a stir when she was introduced in late 2025. Her creator, actor-producer Eline Van der Velden, said she wanted Tilly to be the “Scarlett Johansson” of AI actors. But she immediately felt the backlash from Hollywood. Emily Blunt called Tilly “really, really scary,” and agencies said they wouldn’t sign her. But Eline is pushing forward, creating a TV show around Tilly, filled with all-new AI characters. Karah sat down with Eline to talk about how she created Tilly, how she taught her to “act,” and to discuss how Eline sees the future of AI in filmmaking.

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How often do you use ChatGPT to evaluate your ailments? Did it work? More and more people are turning to chatbots to diagnose their illnesses — with varied success. But when it does work, it can be life-changing. Dr. Dhruv Khullar heard of a case where ChatGPT identified the cause of one man’s years-long gastrointestinal struggles, in seconds. Given a medical system that can fail so many, Dr. Khullar started to wonder, “If A.I. Can Diagnose Patients, What Are Doctors For?” That’s the title of a recent piece he wrote for The New Yorker. Oz sits down with Dr. Khullar to see if there is an answer to this question. 

Additional Reading: 

• If A.I. Can Diagnose Patients, What Are Doctors For? | The New Yorker 
• The Role of Doctors Is Changing Forever | The New Yorker

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Is building data centers in space actually feasible? It may be, thanks to Ariel Ekblaw. The scientist, VC investor and co-founder and CEO of Aurelia Institute has devoted her life to democratizing space and ensuring that humans will one day be a spacefaring species. Ariel sits down with Oz to discuss self-assembling space architecture, how science-fiction influences her inventions, and why she doesn’t think billionaires investing in space is a bad thing.

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Cristóbal Valenzuela co-founded Runway to rethink how movies are made, and now his technology is spreading across Hollywood. Cristóbal sits down with Oz to discuss how far AI media tools have come in just the past six years, and why the next leap forward could happen even faster than anyone expects. He also addresses many artists' AI fears, by saying that film has always evolved alongside technological breakthroughs and that AI is simply the next chapter in that long history. And finally, Cristóbal and Oz explore Runway's next frontier after Hollywood and why video models might be the key to training humanoid robots.

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Theatre and tech don't usually share the same stage. But that's changing. This season, two plays caught our eye: Data, a play about the inner workings of a data mining company, and Marjorie Prime, a play where grief, family, and AI collide. Karah interviews both playwrights: Matthew Libby (Data) and Jordan Harrison (Marjorie Prime). They discuss the origins of their plays, from failed collabs with AI chatbots to the internship with Palantir that never was. And how plays about technology can teach us about our humanity. 

Data runs through March 29th. Tickets are at lortel.org   

Marjorie Prime runs through February 15th. Buy Tickets at 2st.com

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It’s been two months since Australia’s social media ban went into effect for kids under 16. But Jay Caspian Kang, staff writer at The New Yorker, doesn’t think America will follow suit. Jay sits down with Karah to unpack why a U.S. ban is unlikely, what Australia’s move does change, and how cultural pressure — not legislation — may be the most powerful tool we have to protect kids online.

Additional Reading: 

• Americans Won’t Ban Kids from Social Media. What Can We Do Instead? | The New Yorker 
• The Case for Banning Children from Social Media | The New Yorker 
• If You Quit Social Media, Will You Read More Books? | The New Yorker 
• Gen Z are arriving to college unable to even read a sentence—professors warn it could lead to a generation of anxious and lonely graduates | Fortune

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