TechStuff

What’s inside AI’s black box? This week in the News Roundup, Oz unpacks the uncomfortable truth that even the people building today’s AI models often can’t explain how they work — or why they behave the way they do. But that hasn’t stopped tech companies from pushing colleges and universities to embrace chatbots. On TechSupport, 404 Media’s Jason Koebler explains the strange world of airport body scans and the future of the TSA.

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When the Biden administration announced the CHIPS and Science Act back in 2022, it was seen as a pivotal move to boost the US semiconductor industry and maintain America’s leadership in AI development. But the legislation was just one piece of a broader, multi-year strategy to counter China’s AI ambitions — and leading the way was Jake Sullivan, former National Security Advisor and longtime foreign policy figure. Sullivan sits down with Oz to discuss why he turned his attention to tech policy, how the Biden administration used export controls and global alliances to curb China’s technological rise, and hear his reflections on the country’s and tech’s role in conflicts abroad.

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Did search just get worse? This week in the News Roundup, Oz and Karah discuss how AI is reshaping search engines — for better or worse — and uncover a surprising downside of vibe coding. On TechSupport, journalist and kill switch host Dexter Thomas unpacks the murky early days of Nintendo and the unlikely figure who transformed it into the family-friendly empire we know today.

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Ben Lamm is an entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of Colossal Biosciences. That's the genetic engineering company making headlines for its bold mission bringing extinct species back to life. From dire wolf pups to woolly mice, Colossal’s breakthroughs have sparked awe and controversy. Lamm sits down with Oz to unpack the science behind de-extinction, the ethical questions it raises, and what it could mean for the future of conservation.

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Vibecoding is everywhere—and it feels like anyone can launch an app. So we’re revisiting one of our favorite episodes: a look back at some of the biggest apps to crash and burn. Jonathan Strickland dives into the nostalgia—spotlighting programs that once seemed unstoppable, until they weren’t.

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This is an episode of kill switch a new podcast about our supercharged technological lives. In this episode, host Dexter Thomas explores the biggest hack you’ve never heard of and how one man saved us from complete disaster. This is the xz utils story.

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Bloomberg Businessweek brings you a smart and fun chat show about all things...business. Hosted by award-winning business and economics journalists Max Chafkin (author of The Contrarian: Peter Thiel and Silicon Valley’s Pursuit of Power) and Stacey Vanek Smith (former co-host of NPR’s Planet Money and reporter for Marketplace), Everybody's Business is powered by the unparalleled sources and reporters who bring you Businessweek magazine’s headlines and the stories behind them. The show gives listeners a window into the discussions happening in boardrooms, Zooms and group chats in power centers around the world. From interpreting Fed meetings to the business of wolf cloning, each week Max, Stacey and their friends at Bloomberg Businessweek guide listeners through what really went on during the last week from Wall Street and Main Street. Because what’s happening with money and markets is everybody’s business.

Listen here and subscribe to Everybody's Business on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts!

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Is it still ghosting if the chatbot texts you back? This week in the News Roundup, Oz and Karah discuss the recent changes to Apple’s App Store policies, the future of brain implants, and the plans for AI-powered Netflix ads. On TechSupport, 404 Media’s Sam Cole explains how one startup is using chatbots to help people process being ghosted and what that means about the state of our relationships.

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Statistician David Spiegelhalter is no stranger to AI he used it to help him research his recent book and, back in the late 70s, he helped develop foundational algorithms for the tech. So, he understands the pandora’s box that technology can represent, as well as the uncertainty embedded in its future development. Spiegelhalter sits down with Oz to unpack how we should interpret AI predictions, why better data matters and why we should consciously embrace uncertainty in our own lives.

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Malcolm Gladwell visits Kennesaw State University to learn about Jiwoo, an AI Assistant that helps future teachers practice responsive teaching by simulating classroom interactions with students. Discover how AI can enhance teaching methods to prepare teachers for the classroom.

This is a paid advertisement from IBM. The conversations on this podcast don't necessarily represent IBM's positions, strategies or opinions.

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