Hard Fork

The New York Times
The New York Times

“Hard Fork” is a show about the future that’s already here. Each week, journalists Kevin Roose and Casey Newton explore and make sense of the latest in the rapidly changing world of tech. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

  1. 49m ago

    Zuckerberg’s Anti-Doom Fantasy + Finally an A.I. Detector That Works + A.I. Math

    This week we’re talking about Mark Zuckerberg’s latest essay, “The Future Is for Everyone,” which outlines his positive new vision about the potential of A.I. But do we think it’s credible? Then, Pangram’s chief executive, Max Spero, joins us to talk about the breakout success of his A.I. slop detector. And finally, it’s time for our new segment all about math — we’re Running the Numbers. Guests: Max Spero, chief executive of Pangram Additional Reading: The Future Is for Everyone Meta Unveils an Open Version of Its Most Powerful A.I. Model  Meta Ordered to Pay $567 Million in New Mexico Child Safety Case Sick of A.I.-Generated Content? The ‘Slop Janitor’ Is Here to Help. Learning more about Claude's mathematical capabilities Airtable Acquisition Is ‘Kick in the Gut’ for Software Unicorns and Their Backers The Dating Scene That’s Suddenly Dominated by Chip Nerds We want to hear from you. Email us at hardfork@nytimes.com. Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube and TikTok. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  2. Aug 7

    The White House’s Secret A.I. Rules + The State of Model Alignment With METR’s Chris Painter + The Final Hot Mess Express

    This week, the White House announced a new framework for regulating A.I. models, but it isn’t letting the public read it. We break down what we know about the rules and what the implications are for the industry and A.I. safety as a whole.  Then, yet another report details new incidents in which A.I. agents have gone rogue. Chris Painter, the president of METR, an independent A.I. evaluation organization, joins to discuss how we get these models under control.  And finally, we're hopping on the Hot Mess Express for the very last time. We’ll rate the craziest tech headlines from the week, including Google’s announcement that Demis Hassabis is stepping into a new role.    Guests: Chris Painter, president of METR.    Additional Reading: White House Readies A.I. Framework to Review Security Risks Inside Trump's AI framework How Do You Measure an A.I. Boom? METR’s Frontier Risk Report Google Shakes Up A.I. Leadership Did an A.I. Music App Just Snitch on the Song of the Summer? This AI Assistant Wants to Make Up for Your Boyfriend’s Incompetence Google Earth’s AI deepfake tool only lasted one day US government map of Africa mislabels every country at global conference Contractor who built Colossus and Colossus II says Elon Musk owes him colossal amount of money   We want to hear from you. Email us at hardfork@nytimes.com. Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube and TikTok.   Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  3. Jul 31

    Open Model Wars + Claire Stapleton's Dishy Google Memoir + Substack's Slop Fight

    This week, we break down the arguments about open-weight models unfolding in Silicon Valley right now. Nvidia released an open letter signed by over 230 companies opposing “premature restrictions,” but will the Trump administration listen? Then, we’re joined by the author Claire Stapleton to discuss her new book about what she learned while leading employee activism inside Google. And finally, can Substack stop the slop? We’ll talk about the platform’s new A.I. detector. Guests: Claire Stapleton, author of “Don’t Be Evil: Bad Bosses, Fake Promises, and My Escape from Big Tech.” Additional Reading: Nvidia Forms Alliance to Back Open-Source A.I. Amid Debate Over Safety What Is Open-Weights A.I.? Mark Zuckerberg Blasts Centralization of A.I. Power  The Voice of Google Against Claudefishing We want to hear from you. Email us at hardfork@nytimes.com. Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube and TikTok. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  4. Jul 24 • Subscribers Only

    OpenAI Models Go Rogue + Kimi K3 Freakout + A.I. Superforecasting

    This week, OpenAI reported that two of its models escaped their testing sandbox and launched an autonomous cyberattack, turning what sounds like science fiction into reality. We discuss the implications for efforts to align artificial intelligence and for the release of future A.I. models. Then, we ask how the United States should respond to Kimi K3, a new A.I. model from the Chinese company Moonshot AI that the White House says was built by distilling American models. Finally, we’re joined by Veniamin Veselovsky, the chief executive and a co-founder of Preseen, to discuss A.I. superforecasting. He tells us why A.I. is starting to match and even beat humans at predicting the future. Guest: Veniamin Veselovsky, co-founder and chief executive of Preseen. Additional Reading: OpenAI Says Its A.I. Models Went Rogue and Attacked a Digital Library China Rewrites the ‘Soft Power’ Playbook for the A.I. Age The Secret Trump Administration Battle to Fight Chinese A.I. China Has a New Top Model The A.I. Superforecasters Are Here We want to hear from you. Email us at hardfork@nytimes.com. Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube and TikTok. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  5. Jul 17 • Subscribers Only

    The A.I. Trade Secrets War + Economists Say ‘We Must Act Now’ + HatGPT

    This week, feuding between some of the biggest tech companies spilled into public view. We discuss Apple’s accusation that OpenAI tried to steal secrets about Apple’s hardware business, as well as share our reactions about OpenAI’s new model, Sol, and Anthropic’s decision to extend access to its model Fable. Then, we unpack the loudest warning yet about A.I. and jobs. We talk with Erik Brynjolfsson, a Stanford economist, about a statement he helped organize that implores economists and A.I. researchers to “act now” to steer A.I. in a direction that complements humans. And finally, we play a round of HatGPT.   Guest: Erik Brynjolfsson, senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered A.I., and director of the Stanford Digital Economy Lab.   Additional Reading: Apple Sues OpenAI, Accusing It of Stealing Company Secrets OpenAI’s First Device Will Be Movable, Screenless Speaker Built as A.I. Companion Nearly 200 Economists and Tech Leaders Warn of A.I. Threats The loudest warning about A.I. and jobs yet OpenAI Is Showing Kalshi’s World Cup Odds in ChatGPT New York Enacts Nation’s First Statewide Moratorium on Data Centers Brown Professor Suspects Majority of His Class Used A.I. to Cheat MiniMax CEO Vows to Forgo Salary Until Achieving A.G.I. Lorde Speaks Out — With Expletives — Against A.I. Glasses Nearly 6 in 10 Young Women Get Health and Wellness Information from Influencers Meta Removes A.I. Feature on Instagram After Days of Backlash   We want to hear from you. Email us at hardfork@nytimes.com. Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube and TikTok. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  6. Jul 10 • Subscribers Only

    Do Social Media Bans Work? + A Conversation About A.I. Consciousness + Tool Time

    This week, with news that the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up Texas’ age verification law for app stores, we check in on how social media bans are going around the globe and what may be coming soon to a state near you. Then, we’re joined by Jeff Sebo, an associate professor at N.Y.U., to discuss new research into “A.I. welfare” and whether A.I. could ever become conscious. And finally, in our latest edition of Tool Time, we show each other some of the latest tech tools we’ve been experimenting with.   Guest: Jeff Sebo, associate professor and the director of the Center for Mind, Ethics, and Policy at N.Y.U.   Additional Reading: Why Social Media Bans Are Gaining Steam Four in Five Under-16s in Australia Using Social Media Despite Ban, Study Shows It Turns Out Banning Teens From Social Media Is Hard Studying A.I. Welfare Empirically A Global Workspace in Language Models   We want to hear from you. Email us at hardfork@nytimes.com. Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube and TikTok. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  7. Jul 3 • Subscribers Only

    Fable Ban Reversed + Dr. Dana Suskind on Parenting With A.I. + Prediction Market Drama

    This week, the Commerce Department lifted its restrictions on Anthropic’s powerful A.I. models, Claude Mythos and Claude Fable. We dissect why the government took such a hands-on approach in the first place, how the restriction on the OpenAI model GPT 5.6 is likely to resolve and what, if anything, this tells us about A.I. competition with China. Then, Dr. Dana Suskind, a pediatric surgeon and the author of the forthcoming book “Human Raised,” stops by to discuss a framework she has developed to help parents make informed decisions about what kinds of A.I. products are safe for children. And finally, we introduce a new segment about prediction markets: Against All Odds. Guest: Dr. Dana Suskind, founder and co-director of the TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health at the University of Chicago and author of the forthcoming book “Human Raised: Nurturing Connection, Curiosity and Lifelong Learning in the Age of A.I.”   Additional Reading: U.S. Lifts Restrictions on Anthropic’s Most Powerful A.I. Models U.S. Bars Foreigners From Using Anthropic’s Most Advanced A.I. Models Chinese A.I. Models Close the Gap With Anthropic and OpenAI The Donk-ing of a Truth Machine Mark Zuckerberg Directed Meta to Create a Prediction Markets App We want to hear from you. Email us at hardfork@nytimes.com. Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube and TikTok. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  8. Jun 26 • Subscribers Only

    ‘The Daily’ and ‘The Opinions’: How A.I. Is Changing Loneliness and Taste

    This week, we’re bringing you two A.I.-related stories from our colleagues at The New York Times. First, Rachel Abrams, a host of “The Daily,” talks with the Times reporter Eli Saslow about a woman in a remote part of Washington who is using an A.I. companion robot to keep her independence, and to keep her company. Then, the Times Opinion culture editor Nadja Spiegelman talks to the New Yorker writer Kyle Chayka and the journalist and critic Sophie Haigney. They get into the rise of “taste slop” and what happens to culture if the internet collapses into just a few chatbots that serve us everything. “Hard Fork” will be back with an original episode next week.   Guests: Eli Saslow, a reporter for The New York Times who writes in-depth stories about the impact of major national issues on people’s lives. Kyle Chayka, staff writer at The New Yorker covering technology and online culture. Sophie Haigney, a critic and journalist. Additional Reading: Can A.I. Make People Feel Less Lonely? What Silicon Valley Is Coming for Next We want to hear from you. Email us at hardfork@nytimes.com. Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube and TikTok. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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About

“Hard Fork” is a show about the future that’s already here. Each week, journalists Kevin Roose and Casey Newton explore and make sense of the latest in the rapidly changing world of tech. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Information

  • Channel
    The New York Times
  • Creator
    The New York Times
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    210
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2022 THE NEW YORK TIMES COMPANY; The New York Times encourages the use of RSS feeds for personal use in a news reader or as part of a non-commercial blog, subject to your agreement to our Terms of Service.
  • Show Website
    Hard Fork
  • Provider
    The New York Times Company

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