The start-and-stop nature of augmented reality and virtual reality got another start recently, after Meta showed off its Orion AR prototype glasses at its Connect event. While the glasses will never go on sale to the public, does this move the technology forward to a point where consumers and businesses will adopt the technology? And what does this mean for companies like Apple, Google and Samsung? Ramon Llamas, research director for mobile and AR/VR at IDC, joins the show to chat about these topics, as well as whether we’ll be able to “ditch the screens.”

A series of lawsuits by state attorneys general spells more bad news for TikTok, whose use of algorithms that help kids get addicted to the app is at the heart of many of these lawsuits. Guest co-host RJ Bardsley joins the show to discuss this story and others, including whether robotaxis will ever take off, the dangers and scariness of infrastructure hacking, and why we should all use an AI tool to help us apply for 30,000 jobs on LinkedIn.

A recent survey of large enterprises about their AI implementation shows that companies continue to be concerned about security (hallucinations, data leakage and privacy), a shortage of in-house expertise, and the lack of compliance and regulations in the space. Adnan Masood, Ph.D., chief architect for AI & Machine Learning, UST, chats with Keith about how companies can overcome some of these hurdles, and what might be on the horizon with new LLMs and AI models.

The old-school AI assistants are now evolving into fully fledged AI agents, which can perform more action-oriented tasks than just giving answers, thanks to perception tools, sensors and the use of large language models. Ritu Jyoti, GM and group vice president, AI and data, IDC, joins the show to discuss how AI agents represent the new phase of artificial intelligence for consumers and businesses moving forward.

Most companies exploring the use of generative artificial intelligence are focusing on the accuracy side of the technology, but there are still some useful ways that the creative side can benefit end users and companies. We’ll explore the current state of the art for creative AI endeavors with Mike Todasco, visiting fellow at the James Silberrad Brown Center for Artificial Intelligence at San Diego State University. Todasco is also an AI writer and advisor, and has conducted many different experiments using AI in the field of writing, image creation and song creations.

In our weekly technology news roundup, the Today in Tech crew chats about a report suggesting that demand for AI devices, hardware and servers will cause a global semiconductor and chip shortage. Analyst Jack Gold joins the show to discuss this and the potential rumors around Qualcomm and Intel merging, as well as Meta’s new AR/VR and AI offerings, and what’s going on with OpenAI and the potential for a Jony Ive-designed stand-alone generative AI device.

Some very high-profile headlines around the use of generative AI by lawyers, courtrooms banning the technology and concerns about the accuracy of results are giving many in the legal space a chance to re-evaluate whether the technology is beneficial. Ken Crutchfield, vice president and general manager of Legal Markets, Wolters Kluwer, chats with Keith about different ways lawyers are beginning to use generative AI tools, and whether we will see some innovative examples of the technology in the future.

In our weekly technology news roundup, the gang discusses Amazon’s new return-to-the-office mandate for a full five-day workweek, how OpenAI’s new ‘reasoning’ model is still producing some “fibbery”, and how companies keep trying to push new AR glasses on a skeptical market. Analyst Jack Gold joins the show as guest co-host to discuss these and other news items.

Is the next phase of artificial intelligence now here? OpenAI’s new ‘reasoning model’ expands the technology that is trained to answer more complex questions in math, science and coding. Meanwhile, the death of James Earl Jones has raised the spotlight on whether the voice of Darth Vader will live on through AI technologies. Analyst Jack Gold joins the show this week as guest co-host to discuss these tech news stories and others.

The integration of generative AI with general-purpose and public-facing robots will enable companies to provide friendlier robots that assist humans with physical tasks, in addition to lessening any fears and other dystopian attitudes towards a robotic and AI future. Jerome Monceaux, founder and CEO of Enchanted tools, talks with Keith about the future of physical robots, as well as whether AI avatars will also be more human-looking or character driven.