Today in Tech

A federal judge rules that Microsoft can go forward with its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, striking another blow for the Federal Trade Commission. But then the company also gets hit with news that a bug in its cloud services platform allowed Chinese hackers to infiltrate emails at the Commerce and State departments. Also, the big bad villain in this summer’s hottest movie is artificial intelligence!

Nowhere has artificial intelligence and generative AI tools like ChatGPT disrupted a space more than in education, where teachers and students are debating whether the tools can help or harm them. Jim Chilton, executive vice president of learning platform provider Cengage, chats with Keith about why knowledge workers can take advantage of the tools to help them become smarter and better prepared for an AI future. 

Mark Zuckerberg takes his beef with Elon Musk to new levels with the launch of Threads, an Instagram-based microblogging platform that looks exactly like Twitter. Plus, we review highlights of the Microsoft vs. FTC case in terms of the Activision Blizzard acquisition, and wonders if Gen Xers really want to go back to a digital-free lifestyle.

The best and worst of humanity was on display last week during the events of the OceanGate Titan sub disaster, including rescuers looking for potential survivors, but also dark Internet memes and inappropriate comments due to 24/7 social media. Keith chats with author Justin Bean and analyst Jack Gold about what lessons we can learn, including those that work at startups and other “innovation” firms.

Workplace innovations such as eliminating scheduled meetings for a month, as well as flexible work options like four-day workweeks, have helped a technology company with issues around meeting fatigue and email overload. Keith chats with Amy Casciotti, vice president of human resources at TechSmith, about these innovations.

Tesla’s deal with Rivian to allow access to its Supercharger network seems to indicate a growing dominance of the Tesla charging system, creating a de facto standard. Also, the FTC goes after Amazon for its Prime subscription signups and cancellation policies, while also continuing to go after the

Several new articles suggest that the ongoing drive for electric vehicles may be shifting into a more cautious approach as questions rise around charging station availability, infrastructure questions, and the true range of vehicles. Also, we look at how some employees are pushing back against office mandates and whether companies need to have a “fun squad” that allows co-workers to become friends.

A New York case where a lawyer was admonished for using ChatGPT to research previous case law (in which the cases were made up by the AI) is softening enthusiasm for the technology by lawyers and others. Paul Lopez, an attorney and partner at Tripp Scott in South Florida, chats with Keith about the upsides and downsides of using generative AI for use in the legal space. 

Guest:

Paul Lopez, a labor and employment attorney with South Florida-based Tripp Scott. Paul has more than 30 years of experience in commercial litigation and advises business owners, HR executives and compliance regulations on labor and employment laws. 

One week after Apple’s Vision Pro augmented reality headset, has the shine and hype subsided? Keith checks in with Computerworld editor Ken Mingis about whether this is just a case of Apple fan fervor, or if the company has revolutionized the ‘spatial computing’ space.

Recent incidents around companies and government organizations suffering shutdowns due to legacy and outdated technology systems is shining a spotlight on the problems around modernization. Richard Wiedenbeck, Chief Technology & Transformation Officer at insurer Ameritas, chats with Keith about the obstacles that many organizations face in trying to modernize their systems.