Recent employment reports suggest that layoffs from tech companies did have an impact on IT-related jobs, but with extremely low unemployment for those positions, it remains a hot market for many companies looking for IT workers. Lucas Mearian from Computerworld joins the show to discuss the latest reports on tech employment, and what skills are now valued by employers. 

PC shipments around the world plunged in Q1 2023 compared to 2022, due to excess inventory and economic fears about new purchases. Also, governments around the world begin to flex their muscles over AI and big tech companies like Google and Apple. Also, can ChatGPT write a better fortune cookie fortune than a human?

Amazon’s Sidewalk expansion to outside developers is showing increased enthusiasm for low-power networks that could compete with 5G to support Internet of Things infrastructures. Analyst Jack Gold joins the show to discuss the latest developments around IoT and 5G and how it could provide better tracking capabilities for packages and other services.

Apple, AI and Amazon all had interesting technology news last week, with more hints at augmented reality device from Apple; deepfake imagery continues to haunt the internet, and a Wired article exposes the problems of Amazon’s Prime Air Delivery service. Keith and Chris comment on these topics and more. 

With accelerating developments in artificial intelligence, are we now on a path towards AI achieving greater intelligence than humans? Keith is joined by a panel of AI experts to discuss whether we are going down that road, and how to ensure that humans remain in control of AI development.

To recover from pandemic-era challenges, many restaurants are attempting to innovate with new technologies such as AI voice, mobile phone point of sale ordering systems, and drone deliveries. Are these efforts just experimental or will they be a part of our future dining experiences? Keith chats with Michael Atkinson, a noted leader in the restaurant technology space, to separate the wheat from the chaff. 

Elon Musk and other AI luminaries are calling for a 6-month pause on AI tool training so that the industry may better collaborate on design and development before the technology accelerates to infinity and beyond. Keith chats with Jason Mars, Ph.D., from the University of Michigan, about whether this is a good or bad idea.

Coming off the heels of an AI image of Donald Trump getting arrested, a fake image of the pope wearing a white puffy coat tricks many on the Internet. Keith and Chris discuss other tech news from the week, including the Twitter source code leak, what jobs may be in danger from ChatGPT, and why working-from-home exclusively might be going away at many companies.

Google finally launches its Bard AI app as an alternative to ChatGPT, while Microsoft continues to add more functionality to ChatGPT through Bing, all while others begin calling for regulation as more and more competitors appear. Keith and Chris discuss this, as well as additional layoffs in the tech space and research that proves that in-office engagement between employees is valuable. 

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified in front of a hostile and united Congressional committee on Thursday, mostly failing to convince lawmakers that user data it collects from more than 150 million Americans is protected from the Chinese Communist Party. But in the end, there are doubts about whether the government can successfully ban the popular video-sharing application, and whether this hearing was mostly about theatrics and grandstanding.